The Ambrose Deception

Author: Emily Ecton
Illustrator: Gilbert Ford

© Date: 2018
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Pages: 359
Chapters: Yes
Illustrations: Yes, but most pages do not have an illustration
Publisher Recommended Age: 8-12 years
Bonus Activities at End of Book: No

Summary from Book: Melissa is a nobody. Wilf is a slacker. Bondi is a show-off. At least that’s what their middle school teachers think. To everyone’s surprise, they are the three students chosen to compete for a ten-thousand-dollar scholarship, solving clues that lead them to various locations around Chicago. At first the three contestants work independently, but it doesn’t take long before each begins to wonder whether the competition is a sham. It’s only by secretly joining forces and using their unique talents that the trio is able to uncover the truth behind the Ambrose Deception—a truth that involves a lot more than just a scholarship.

Page Pig Thoughts: This one made me want to take a trip to Chicago to see some of the sights for myself. I am used to kids excitedly working to solve mystery clues, but this was a refreshing change of pace. Two of the three kids were rather reluctant to do much of anything at the start. Each kid found their own way to solving some clues, but then discovered that a bigger mystery needed solving. I appreciated the humor as the kids and their drivers made their way around the city. The messages between different characters (emails, texts, letters, and chalkboard) added lots of humor and variety in the reading format. I rather enjoyed how the mystery unfolded and the conclusion for each character. Page Pup also really enjoyed this one. Oh, and we are happy that penguins returned to Lincoln Park Zoo, they are worth visiting.

Family Unit:

Melissa lives with her little brother, Liam, and grandmother.
Wilf lives with his mother. His father traveled a lot before his parents broke up, Wilf talks on the phone with his father every other week. Wilf determined from the smell of Old Spice that his mother is going to the movies with a man, but hasn’t told him about it yet.
Bondi lives with his mother and father.

Conflict/Social Issues:

Melissa mostly believes the contest is a hoax, but a part of her still wants to believe that the contest is real and she can change her financial fate.
Bondi feels pressure to win the scholarship contest.
Melissa, Bondi, and Wilf try to follow the rules of the contest, but aren’t the best at it.
Melissa, Bondi, and Wilf secretly team up to solve the mystery of the point of the contest.
Melissa is initially rather upset with Wilf losing a clue.

Positive Items:

Bondi’s people skills keep Melissa and Wilf on good enough terms that the group can succeed in solving the mystery of the contest origins.
Melissa is able to bond with her friend and live without the pressure of finding money to do things like buy lunch for herself and her little brother.
Wilf finds an adult male to do things with. Wilf misses having his father around, so his contest driver, Frank, becomes an activity companion.
Bondi is able to live with bending some rules and loosen up a little.

Items of Interest:

The guidance counselor at Melissa’s school tells her that the scholarship contest clearly chose the wrong Melissa from their school. The counselor tells Melissa not to embarrass the school.
Melissa runs a worksheet cheating business. She completes worksheets for other students that pay her. She uses the money for bus fare and lunch money for herself and her little brother.
Melissa’s grandmother is on a fixed income and closely budgets everything, including a splurge on a weekly cup of coffee with her friend. Melissa’s grandmother doesn’t realize how much some things actually cost now, so Melissa completes worksheets for money to close the gap.
Not potty humor, but humor to note all the same – Melissa’s little brother Liam was laughing at a blooper show and telling Melissa that she needed to come see. A German Shepherd hit a guy right in the crotch.
Melissa is skeptical that the contest is legit. Her initial answer to the first clue is “up yours.” She later changes it, but that phrase is crossed out and seen many times thereafter in the book when her clue solutions are shown.
Bondi’s mother starts his family on a Paleo diet. Bondi and his father are not amused with the chard. Bondi tries feeding his chard to some ducks at the park and the ducks run away. His friends at school and his driver, Inez, find him “real food.”
Wilf is described as an opportunist. When he realizes that he has a personal driver and a debit card until the clue contest is over, Wilf makes a list of things that he wants to do around Chicago. Wilf and his driver go about exploring the joys of Chicago. Wilf doesn’t try hard to solve his clues. His driver, Frank, makes comments one day that encourage Wilf to try solving a clue, but Wilf is really more into completing the items on his list.
Melissa, Bondi, and Wilf skip school to do contest related research/sightseeing.
Melissa doesn’t trust the legitimacy of the scholarship contest, but finds her way into solving the first clue anyway. She discovers that her driver, Dmitri, is more friend than scary adult. Melissa is able to enjoy being at a museum and a donut, and discovers the joys of being a more carefree kid.
Bondi diligently works on solving his clues, but looks forward to hanging out with his friends again.
Bondi’s driver, Inez, smokes, which is against the contest driver rules.
Wilf is finally able to embark on his plan for hot dog taste testing around Chicago. He winds up puking all around town. Then Wilf pukes after a Seadog boat ride. There are short, humorous style comments about the puking. For example, “leaving piles of undigested food” around town. And “You can say it, I’m a puker.”
Melissa’s grandmother finds Enoch Ambrose, the recently deceased 98 year old millionaire rather handsome. Turns out that he faked his own death. There is a brief moment at the end of the book when the two cross paths. The kids feel like they are going to be sick when Enoch asks who the lovely lady was.
Sybil Ambrose-Murgeston and Linus Ambrose are the children of Enoch Ambrose. Sybil believes that she is above everyone and Linus is rather angry and not as bright as he would like to believe. They bicker between themselves and each hope to be the sole inheritor of their father’s wealth.
Melissa, Bondi, and Wilf find out that the scholarship contest was a hoax because it was organized by Linus Ambrose to help him solve the clues in his father’s will. But the trio also discover that they are now eligible to inherit Enoch Ambrose’s fortune, which is worth more than the $10,000 scholarship prize.
Bondi and Wilf are initially not sure that letting Melissa choose the final door in the contest to find Enoch Ambrose’s fortune was a good idea. But their trust in each other pays off. The trio evade the police and find Enoch. Then Enoch takes them down to settle things between his children and the police.
Language note: Along with “up yours,” other phrases of parental interest include: “grade A blowhard,” “it was a crap shoot,” and “crappy old phone.” These phrases were all used once and occur closer to the end of the book.