Book details
Steve Reifman - Author
A brisk school mystery built around a missing cello, a firm deadline and Chase’s hopes of joining the orchestra. Expect clues, red herrings and a school-day race against time.
"In a last-ditch effort to save Apple Valley Elementary's award-winning music program from looming budget cuts, the PTA plans to auction off a recently donated, handcrafted cello at the school's annual fund-raising dinner. Confidence is high--until the cello turns up missing the morning of the event. The school principal charges Chase Manning, a fifth grader who has dreamed of playing in the Sixth Grade Honors Orchestra his whole life, with finding the cello by three o'clock. Each hour of the school day involves surprising and suspense-filled plot turns as Chase pursues the elusive cello. This single-day, real-time mystery thriller truly is a chase against time!"--Page 4 of cover.
Book Analysis
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Sign in for personalised guidanceTalk about: Which clues seem most trustworthy as Chase investigates?
How the book presents it: The plot gives music a prominent place in school life and connects the programme’s future to Chase’s ambition.
Talk about: What does the music programme mean to Chase, and how does that compare with other priorities at the school?
The chapters track class periods and minutes, giving the story a steady pace and frequent suspenseful turns. The mystery may suit readers who enjoy following clues and testing their own guesses.
Chase is given substantial responsibility and freedom around the school.
If Chase’s freedom to investigate feels unusual, what would you expect a school adult to do in the same situation?
Read a few chapters at a time, pausing at the clues to make a guess about the cello. Comparing predictions as the school day advances can make the mystery’s structure part of the fun.
Theme indicators describe how the book presents a topic; they are not a verdict on the whole book or your family's values. Confidence reflects how much book-specific material was checked. Only part of the book information was available, so some details remain unconfirmed.
Chase against time by Steve Reifman | Open Library
Limited information
Checked: 1 October 2026.
Relevant to: A race to find the cello; Music and school funding
Limited information
Checked: 1 October 2026.
Relevant to: A race to find the cello; Music and school funding
Benefits, discussion questions and reading approaches are suggestions. Your knowledge of your child remains part of the decision.
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