Entries Categorized as 'Mysteries'
Posted by Jordan
Categories: All Ages, Fiction, Incredibook!, Mysteries, Review
Tags:Animals, Dogs, Funny, Good Read Aloud, Jim Kjelgaard, Out of Print
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In the Mahela forest, Ted Harkness lives with his father Al in a cabin. Everybody is after Damon and Pythias, supposedly the biggest bucks anywhere. To promote his hunting lodge, Ted’s employer Carl Thornton, asks Ted to get one of the two deer for him to hang on his wall. There’s only one catch: Carl wants Ted to hunt out of season. Ted refuses and Carl fires him. When Al finds out, he and Ted open a hunting camp for deer season. However, Ted’s on his own when Al is falsely accused of shooting a man and has to go on the run.
There’s a lot going on here. I love it when you have to follow multiple plots, and this is one of Jim Kjelgaard’s best multi-plot stories. Double Challenge has a lot of interesting parts. The characters are all very real and vivid. Well worth reading. Oh, as is usual with good books, Double Challenge is out of print. See our Book Tips Page for help finding out of print books.
Posted by Jordan
Categories: Adventure, Fiction, Mysteries, Older Readers, Review
Tags:Funny, Out of Print, The Younguns, Thomas L. Tedrow
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Terry Youngun thinks his father is unfair because he gives him work as punishment. Reverend Youngun finally comes to the end of his rope when Terry drives a car that they’re supposed to be taking care of. Terry is put to work picking his least favorite vegetable (carrots), and it doesn’t take long for him to run away with hoboes Railroad Jack and Skeeter, who have decided to follow Adam Cole’s Circus Freak Show. However, Adam Cole is not the nice guy he seems to be, and has certain crimes that he’d love to pin on Jack and Skeeter…
A page turner. Terry’s antics are great, and the ending is very exciting. You’ll laugh part of the way through, and be on the edge of your seat for the rest. Unfortunately, this book is out of print, but you might find it at your library.
Posted by Jordan
Categories: Adventure, Fiction, Incredibook!, Mysteries, Older Readers, Review
Tags:Animals, Dogs, Good Read Aloud, Jim Kjelgaard
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Tom Rainse has just returned to Tanner’s Mountain, and things are much different from when he left. New game laws limit how much hunting you can do, and poachers are everywhere. Threatened by a poacher named The Black Elk, Tom becomes a game warden. Along with Smoky, the bloodhound his friend Bill Tolliver gave him, Tom must track down The Black Elk and stop the poaching once and for all.
Here’s a thriller with something for everybody. The mystery has several twists and turns, the ending is unexpected, and the characters are great. For those of you who won’t read A Nose for Trouble unless I say so, this book is far from being about the dog! It’s very much about the people in the mountains, and their choices to obey or disobey the new hunting laws. Sadly, this book is out of print, but your local library may have it.
Posted by Jordan
Categories: Mysteries, Older Readers, Review, Science Fiction
Tags:Animals, Chickens, Daniel Manus Pinkwater, Lizards, Scary
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Victor’s parents leave him at home with his sister, who quickly leaves with a bunch of her friends for a camping trip. He’s alone in the house and can do anything he wants: eat anchovy pizza, watch TV all night and build model planes on the dinner table. Victor meets a strange black man, who takes his pet chicken everywhere and goes under several names, with Charlie being the most prominent. Then, long after the TV stations stop broadcasting for the night, lizards take over the station and put on their own shows. Afterwards, Victor notices lizard music records, posters and advertisements all over his town. Victor thinks this is strangely connected to a movie he sees about Pod People from another planet who take over people one by one. He knows that Charlie holds the key to the whole mystery, but can Victor convince Charlie to tell him?
Lizard Music is probably one of Daniel Pinkwater’s weirdest books. Every little thing fits together and points to giant lizards. You may not want to read this if you’re not on good terms with reptiles. Otherwise, it’s pretty good, although I question Victor’s activities at home by himself. A thrilling story with many unusual twists and turns. Just don’t read it at night!
Posted by Jordan
Categories: All Ages, Fiction, Mysteries, Review, Science Fiction
Tags:Daniel Manus Pinkwater, Easy Read, Funny, Martians, Out of Print, Quick Read
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A dastardly crime has happened in Vienna! Somebody has stolen all the muffins. Inspector Charles LeChat enlists the help of Mozart, who likes nothing better than to solve mysteries and compose music. A great story with crazy off the wall elements of an extraterrestrial, the odd peasant, and Gorganzola muffins!
I love Daniel Pinkwater’s books. All his books are very funny, with very weird (but easily followed) plots that always end in some goofy fashion. Unfortunately, The Muffin Fiend is out of print, so you have to buy it used. See our Book Tips page for pointers on how to find out of print books.
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