May 20, 2013
“Steve was a cop. Now he works for himself. He is a hard man.” The character profile at the start of Ransom’s Steve Sharp books sets up the series well. Steve Sharp was kicked off the force and now works as a self-employed investigator. The series follows Steve’s efforts to track down missing teenager Jo before she gets into big trouble.
H. L. Dube’s gritty crime thriller series has an interest level aimed at younger teenagers, but is written specifically for struggling or reluctant readers. Each book has a reading level below 2. The sentences are short and most of the vocabulary used is decodable. The plot contains some violence and themes which would be inappropriate for younger readers, however. The missing girl, Jo, mixes with a drug dealer called Big John, and there are some violent scenes as Steve attempts to return Jo to her mother.
Our quizzing team have thoroughly enjoyed working on these books. We’re keen to find out what happens to Steve next – the series ends on something of a cliffhanger so hopefully Ransom have plans for a follow-up.