The Mystery in the Fortune Cookie

May 1, 2004
Gr 3-6-Gertrude Chandler Warner's Boxcar Children series are serviceable mysteries for beginning chapter book readers who require limited vocabulary and short sentences. This predictable episode opens in a bookstore run by friends of the Boxcar children, Martin and Dottie. A customer lingers in the store, attempting to buy books by a popular mystery writer whose disappearance has never been explained. When this causes mild-mannered Martin to become angry and order the man from the store, the four children are alerted that something is going on. At a Chinese restaurant, the Alden children open fortune cookies with handwritten riddle clues inside, which eventually lead them to suspect that Martin is trying to get full control of the bookstore and cheat Dottie out of her share. In the end, there are several revelations that will surprise only the most credulous readers. Narrator Aimee Lilly has a pleasant voice and tries to distinguish the various characters. However, Henry and Benny's voices have an unpleasant, grating tone. Libraries with a high demand for the Boxcar Children series might consider this audiobook, but youngsters looking for an exciting audio mystery will need to look elsewhere.-Kathy Mortensen, Adams Elementary School, Midland, MI

Copyright 2004 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.