Super Puzzletastic Mysteries

March 1, 2020
In the spirit of Donald Sobol, creator of Encyclopedia Brown, 20 writers for young people offer short mysteries for budding sleuths to tackle...solutions in the back. The MacGuffins range from the usual suspects (missing artworks, fundraising proceeds, and valuable jewelry) to more-unusual engines of mystery, such as whether a supposed ghost is real or not and who stomped out the giant letters "F-A-R-T" in the snow. In each case, one kid or a small group winkles out clues, identifies suspects, and then gathers for a denouement. None of these entries are no-brainers, being either chock full of red herrings, fiendishly tricky, or reliant on coded messages or, for that "ghost," a knowledge of atmospheric physics. Kate Milford's locked-room-style camp tale will require some serious thinking outside the box while Steve Hockensmith's "Possum Man and Janet," in which a fifth grader reluctantly accompanies her truly dim-bulb superhero uncle on a caper, is one of several entries that are entertaining even without the requisite deductive wizardry. Readers can check their own solutions at the end, where the contributors have laid out all the clues and reasoning. Though character unsurprisingly takes a back seat to mise-en-sc�ne, names and details hint at some cultural and racial diversity in the casts, and Bruce Hale's young sherlock, Gabriel "Gridlock" Jones, uses a wheelchair. Tasty challenges for preteen Poirots, middle-grade Miss Marples, and "Jigsaw Jones" grads. (Mystery/short stories. 4-6)

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May 11, 2020
Multiple Edgar Award winners and nominees are among the 20 contributors to this engaging anthology of snappily paced capers entailing codes, ciphers, and math and science puzzles. Several gumshoes featured here have demonstrated their sleuthing prowess in book series: Grabenstein’s Riley Mack identifies the perpetrator of a history quiz cheating prank; Stuart Gibbs brings back FunJungle protagonist Teddy Fitzroy to solve the mystery of a missing monkey; and Florian Bates, the 12-year-old FBI consultant from James Ponti’s novels, locates the NHL’s purloined Stanley Cup. Other compelling selections include a puzzler by Sheela Chari, inspired by a real-life museum theft, and Lauren Magaziner’s whodunit about eerily identical triplets. A standout is Peter Lerangis’s enthralling tale involving a boy who befriends a homeless man in Central Park, a vintage puzzle book, a Fabergé egg appropriated by the Nazis, and a poignant father-son reunion. Grabenstein encourages readers to crack the cases before turning to end-of-book solutions, which cleverly read as continuations of the stories rather than objective revelations. Ages 8–12.

June 1, 2020

Gr 3-6-This collection of 20 short mysteries offers a variety of puzzling capers by a range of authors. The solutions to the stories are found in the back of the book. From stolen fundraising money to kidnapped squirrel monkeys to magical misdirection, each narrative presents a unique opportunity to practice deduction and problem-solving skills before the tale's conclusion. Some stories offer humor, like Grabenstein's own "Snow Devils" and Steve Hockensmith's "Possum-Man and Janet," while others supply clues as varied as crossword puzzles (Lara Cassidy's "The Red Envelope"), ciphers (Gigi Pandian's "The Haunted Typewriter"), and magic squares ("Puzzling it Out" by Eileen Rendahl). Some of the puzzles are trickier than others, but the common theme across all entries is the importance of keeping an open mind and teamwork. Indeed, as Grabenstein suggests in his introduction, each story is short enough to make for a fun classroom read-aloud, presumably followed by a collaborative attempt to solve the mystery. VERDICT An engaging addition to a school library collection, especially one where middle grade mysteries, puzzles, and mind teasers are in high demand.-Dana West, Roosevelt H.S., Seattle, WA

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2020
Grades 4-7 It can be fun to get lost in a long and winding mystery, but sometimes a quicker case is just the ticket. Grabenstein, known for his Mr. Lemoncello's Library series, has gathered 20 short stories for young readers to puzzle over in this new anthology released in conjunction with Mystery Writers of America. The first entry gets things off to a silly start with a question of who tracked a 20-foot-high FART in the snow outside of a school, and others go on to tackle a variety of entertaining subjects, from the usual missing items to a potentially haunted typewriter spitting out encrypted messages. The puzzles range in difficulty and approach, but there are lengthy solutions and satisfying resolutions tucked away in the back of the book, so no reader will be left frustrated. The short-story format makes it easy to dip in and out as the mood strikes, and young mystery afficionados will relish the opportunity to put their sleuthing skills to the test.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)