Thumb and the Bad Guys by Ken Roberts March 6, 2010
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This funny story has three mysteries that Thumb and Susan are trying to solve. What’s in the shanty that can only be reached by going behind a waterfall? Why is the new teacher wearing a silly wig and tons of makeup? And what is the big iron ball sitting in Mayor Semanov’s front yard? This book also has an interesting setting, New Aukland (population 143), and some crazy characters like Kirk McKenna, a toothless, bald fisherman who has a disgusting habit of spitting. Put it all together, and it makes one good book!
~Mrs. Carlson~
The Bungalow Mystery by Carolyn Keene January 27, 2010
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Nancy Drew is back and very excited to be involved in her third case, The Bungalow Mystery. Nancy Drew and Helen Corning are on a boat ride when an unexpected storm came up. Nancy and Helen yelled, “Help!” Luckily, brave Laura Pendleton heard their cries for help and came to the rescue. Later on, Nancy and Helen find out that Laura is being raised by her uncle and her aunt, who are having awkward mood swings. She also has an amazing inheritance from her mom. Nancy must hide in the bungalow to solve the mystery. This book was great. It was very mysterious and exciting.
~Allie, Fifth Grader~
The Hidden Staircase by Carolyn Keene January 15, 2010
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This book is one of the many Nancy Drew books. This book is about how Nancy’s friend Helen asks for her to solve a mystery at Twin Palms Estate. Helen’s aunt and her grandma live there and believe that the estate is haunted. Nancy thinks differently. She thinks that she can solve this mysterious case before Helen’s grandmother gets really scared and decides to sell the estate.
~Allie, Fifth Grader~
The Postcard by Tony Abbott January 6, 2010
Posted by jcarlson in : Mystery, Podcasts , 5commentsTo learn about this great book, listen to the podcast by Allie in fifth grade.
Pish Posh by Ellen Potter April 28, 2009
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Do you like mysteries? Then Pish Posh is the right book for you! Pish Posh is a fun and entertaining mystery book! It’s about a girl named Clara Frankofile who is 11 years old. Clara lives in her own penthouse apartment with roller coasters and bumper cars! Clara’s very rich! Clara takes help from a 12 year old jewel thief and solves a 200 year old secret in New York! It’s an extremely fantastic book!!!
~Nikki, Fourth Grader~
The Panda Puzzle by Ron Roy April 28, 2009
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I think The Panda Puzzle is a great book. If you like mysteries, this is a good book for you. In this book a baby panda, named Winnie, gets lost. The ransom is a million dollars by midnight, or they’ll never see Winnie again. It’s up to Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose to find him. So take out the book now or take out one of the books from the A to Z Mysteries series.
~Emma, Fourth Grader~
The Chameleon Wore Chartreuse by Bruce Hale February 17, 2009
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“Some cases start rough. Some cases start easy. This one started with a dame. (That’s what we private eyes call a girl.)” It’s pretty clear from the first paragraph, that The Chameleon Who Wore Chartreuse is a mystery. It’s a rather funny mystery and the first book in the Chet Gecko series.
Chet Gecko is a fourth grade detective … and he’s a gecko. Matter of fact, all the characters in this book are animals. Chet is trying to find a chameleon named Billy who was last seen with an angry Gila monster named Herman. Chet, along with his sidekick Natalie the mockingbird, follows clues through the school and encounters a variety of students and teachers. Some are helpful while others throw him red herrings. (Red herrings are items or statements made by people that distract the detective from the real clues.) If you want to find out if Chet Gecko finds Billy, read this humorous book.
~Mrs. Carlson~
The Double Jinx Mystery by Carol Keene January 14, 2009
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The book the Double Jinx Mystery by Carol Keene is a great book! If you like birds and mysteries, I guarantee you’ll like this book.
Nancy Drew gets involved in a daring mystery with her famous father, Carson Drew. Some people threaten to destroy a bird zoo (with some other animals) to put up an apartment. Soon Nancy is getting jinxed with a symbol that is a circle with a cross in it. When Nancy gets jinxed, bad things happen to her. Nancy’s friend, Ned Nickerson, comes to help Nancy with the mystery. Is it too late to help the zoo before the apartment gets built? Find out in The Double Jinx Mystery.
~Lauren, Fifth Grader~
The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene December 9, 2008
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“She’s going to fall!” thought Nancy Drew. The little girl did fall but was not badly injured. Nancy walked the little girl Judy into the house. Judy was living with her great aunts. They had very little money. They just noticed that their precious silver was gone. They told Nancy what happened about their silver and why they didn’t have lots of money. It was because of Josiah Crowley. He was rich, and he died. He promised the great aunts, the Turner sisters, that he would give his money to them. It was a mystery why he didn’t. The Turners knew other people that would get money, but they didn’t. They thought that there was a later will that Josiah Crowley wrote but never showed it to anyone. Is there a later will? Read this book to find out. I liked this book because it has lots of adventures.
~Kristen, Fourth Grader~
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick October 19, 2008
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Why does a book win the Caldecott Award? It wins for the illustrations, of course.
Do you know the winner of the Caldecott Award in 2008? It is the Invention of Hugo Cabret, written and illustrated by David Selznick. It’s over 500 pages long and contains about 250 charcoal sketches. These marvelous sketches are like scenes from a silent movie. The first pictures introduce the story while later pictures guide along the action. These pictures truly help the reader understand the story. No wonder it won the Caldecott Award.
What is this book about? It’s about a 12 year old orphan named Hugo who lives in the walls of a Paris train station. He takes care of the station’s clocks and steals whatever he needs to survive. In his spare time, he’s working on a project his father left him: an automaton. The automaton is a human-like figure seated at a desk with a pen in hand, seeming as if he’s ready to write a message. Is there a message? Who made this automaton? Does the grouchy old toymaker who owns a shop in the train station know something?
I sure have asked a lot of questions. Do they make you curious about the book? I hope so because I really liked this book. It was filled with mystery and adventure. Plus all the pictures made it fun to read.
~Mrs. Carlson~