A Case Is Still a Case / Un caso siempre es un caso — Rene Saldana Jr.

There’s a rumor going around school that Mickey Rangel, detective extraordinaire, has competition! Apparently, Tina has gotten an online license just like Mickey. He can’t believe it! Doesn’t she know detectives are guys? Look at all the greats: Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson, Colombo, the Hardy BOYS! But when a pack of baseball cards—a collector’s item worth a lot of money—donated to the school’s fundraiser is stolen, Principal Abrego wants Mickey and Tina to work together to solve the case. The dynamic duo, she calls them! Mickey is determined to show the girl detective who’s who and he expects her to understand that they are not equal partners; she’s a rung or two below him. Almost immediately Tina takes charge of the investigation and starts giving him instructions! “Who does this girl think she is?” Mickey wonders. But he isn’t counting on the fact that she is extremely smart and well-prepared. And when he lets his biases blind him to the facts of the case, it’s Tina who schools Mickey on the fine art of detection! How could he have possibly thought girls can’t be private investigators? Will she ever forgive him for his misogyny? Kids will enjoy sharpening their detecting skills while getting a lesson in gender equality in this sixth book in René Saldaña’s bilingual series for intermediate readers, the Mickey Rangel Mystery Series/Colección Mickey Rangel, detective privado.