The Mysterious Matter of I. M. Fine

by Diane Stanley

Book Overview

It started with jelly worms... Kids all over the country are acting strangely after reading the latest books in the mega-popular Chillers series. First, it's the seemingly innocent Jelly Worm fad. But... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0688175465
• ISBN13: 9780688175467
• Release Date: August 2001
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.8" x 8.7"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

My 3rd grade son is loving it!

I read a lot with my 3rd grader, trying to get him to love books more than video games. This morning he was still in his room before school and breakfast was waiting, so I went in to get him, and he was laying on his bed engrossed in this book! I was so thrilled, I quietly tip-toed away, and let him keep reading until the last possible minute. The story is NOT that scary, and so implausible that only the most sensitive kids would be bothered by it. If you want a story that will hook your lukewarm reader, this may be it! I will look for other books by this author.

The musterious Matter of I.M. Fine.

Franny's siblings and parents move,and go to a new school.A weird book causes strange phenomenons.Franny wants to find out who is the author. There were many part's that sound unusual.Things that might never happen in every day life.And all because of reading a book. The whole idea is people follow or mentions in the books. J.D. Because he always looks for attention, and is sometimes labeled the class clown. Franny's brother J.D. didn't care what anyone thought of him. He didn't care what they called him.He just rolls along and takes things as they come. It's a funny, but yet mysterious kind of book. It is fun book to read. When ever you stop you want to ask yourself what's next. I wanted to ask throughout the book, Why wasn't there any information abought the Author? Some of the ked character don't care about what other pople think and I think that's a talent.

The Mysterious Matter of I. M. Fine

"Oh no! People all over the state are acting like snakes. We must find out what's going on, this has never happened before." This is what Franny, the main character says to Beamer when she suspects something is going on with the mega-popular series, the Chiller and their author I. M. Fine. Everyone loves reading the books, and when new ones come out, bookstores are always sold out before a few days at most. Now recently, three books have come out, The Worm Turns, Mind Wave, and Sinister Serpent Surprise and each of these three books had something bizarre about them. Anyone who read The Worm Turns started a Jelly Worm fad, anyone who read Mind Wave got a terrible headache for three days, and finally anyone who read Sinister Serpent Surprise started acting like a snake. The incidents are getting bigger and bigger with every one and so Franny gets suspicious. She tries to talk an adult into the matter, but they all insist its a virus. Finall she gets her best friend Beamer on her side and they try to solve the mystery together, but, the author is nowhere to be found... This mystery book was a page turner; I myself couldn't stop reading until I finished it. I strongly recommend it to both boys and girls of around ages ten to thirteen who like suspense and mystery; the author really stresses those points, making this a really valuable book to read. Also, if you like the novel A Time Apart, you'll probably like this book too.

A clever and entertaining parody.

Franny and Beamer just don't get the whole I.M. Fine thing. Sure, I.M. Fine's Chillers books are a hit with kids everywhere. But what's so great about them? Something, apparently, because I.M. Fine has become the best-selling children's book author in the country. When jelly worms are featured in a Chillers book, suddenly kids everywhere go crazy, buying tons of jelly worms. That doesn't seem so bad. But then everyone who reads the next Chillers book, about an exploding head, gets a horrible headache that lasts for several days and is cured by nothing. Franny and Beamer are suspicious of I.M. Fine, but they have no proof that the books are causing the strange behavior. Then a Chillers book about ghosts causes kids to think they see ghosts, and one about snakes causes its readers to act like snakes. Franny and Beamer now know I.M. Fine is to blame. They have to stop him or her, but first they have to track this mysterious author down. This was a clever, spooky, and entertaining parody on kids and how they react to fads.