Museum Mystery Squad and the Case of the Hidden Hieroglyphics

August 1, 2017

Gr 1-3-A museum becomes the perfect mystery setting for this new series from Scotland. The detectives are three friends dubbed the "Museum Mystery Squad": Kennedy, Nabster, and Laurie. Kennedy is the organizer and the quick thinker, Nabster is the technical expert, and Laurie knows how to ask the direct questions. The squad reports to the museum director, Magda Gaskar. In the Case of the Hidden Hieroglyphics, a secret message is discovered on a mummy, and Magda Gaskar asks the kids to decode it. This doesn't sit well with Professor Gyptex, a visiting Egyptologist who is not quite what he seems. The book is full of interesting facts about hieroglyphics, and features an opportunity for readers to try their hand at decoding. In the Case of the Moving Mammoth, the world famous Dinosaur Circus is appearing in Edinburgh. While there are no real dinosaurs on display, there is a gigantic, stuffed woolly mammoth named Moth being housed at the museum. Shockingly, Moth seems to move at night when the museum is closed, and the squad is tasked with solving this conundrum. The book contains facts about animals and even a short quiz to determine which Mystery Squad member the reader most resembles. Each book is replete with black-and-white illustrations, along with quizzes, games, and brain teasers that will definitely engage young readers. VERDICT A strong series to add to early chapter book collections and an easy fit for fans of "A to Z Mysteries" and "Nate the Great."-Amy Nolan, St. Joseph Public Library, MI

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July 15, 2017
In their latest caper, four young sleuths (counting the hamster) not only uncover a hidden treasure, but foil its theft.Edinburgh museum director Magda Gaskar summons the Museum Mystery Squad--narcoleptic genius Laurie Lennox, quick thinker Kennedy Kerr (both white), and tech whiz Mohammed "Nabster" McNab (evidently a Muslim Scot)--to the museum's Egyptian Zone to watch (supposed) Egyptologist Peter Gyptex at work. (Colin the hamster consults from his cage at home.) They arrive just in time to see some newly exposed "hieroglyphics" (actually rebuses) on a pharaoh's casket that turn out to lead to a long-lost jeweled bracelet. Piecing together sharp observations, solving anagrams, and learning bits about ancient Egyptian burial practices and hieroglyphics ("A bit like telling a story using only emojis, no words," explains Kennedy vividly if inexactly), the MMS winkles out the bracelet's hiding place just in time to nab the "expert," who turns out to be a wanted thief with a penchant for disguises, as he's trying to sneak it out of the building. Nicholson slips in fact boxes and a miniquiz as well as some red herrings to confuse matters. Phillips adds coded messages, screen shots, and diary pages to cartoon views of the squad in action. A final word-search puzzle (with answers) serves as both brain teaser and review. Companion adventure Museum Mystery Squad and the Case of the Moving Mammoth publishes simultaneously. The historical information is a bit flimsy, but deduction and slick detective work save the day. (Mystery. 7-9)

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