The Mystery of the Gold Coin

May 1, 2014
Grades 2-4 Twins Ella and Ethan are dismayed to learn they must leave their hometown for a new life as world travelers. Exotic cities do not make up for the loss of friends, writing club, and soccer season. Before they leave, their grandpa Harry, a famous archaeologist, gives them each gifts: a journal for solving mysteries and an old gold coin. When Ethan's coin disappears hours before their flight, the twins use their sleuthing skills and Ella's notebook to track it down. The first book in the Greetings from Somewhere series is thin on mystery and long on establishing characters and background, but it does a good job of setting the stage for the simultaneously released The Mystery of the Mosaic, where the twins find a stolen gondola and a hidden mosaic in Venice. Plentiful black-and-white illustrations break up the text, and a glossary in the back defines foreign words but lacks a pronunciation guide. Hand this fresh transitional chapter-book series to readers looking for realistic fiction with a touch of mystery.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)