BCCB-July 2003 Bulletin Dozen

	The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
	The Bulletin Dozen is a monthly theme-based booklist available as an online-only Bulletin feature. Since we're awfully fond of bakers here at the Bulletin, we thought we'd adopt their philosophy of generosity and throw in an extra one or two when we have them to offer--so don't expect an even dozen. Please feel free to copy, download, or link to these lists. We ask only that you cite the source. See the archive for lists from previous months.
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I Was Stumped: A Dozen Mysteries for Middle-Graders
--selected by Jen DeBaillie and Deborah Stevenson

There are no age limits on the urge to delve, so in this follow-up to And That's When I First Suspected: A Dozen Young Adult Mysteries we offer younger readers a collection of satisfying snoopy stories. Whether you're looking for something light and breezy, serious and thoughtful, or far-out and sci-fi, you can find a suitable enigma here.

Ahlberg, Allan. The Cat Who Got Carried Away; illus. by Katherine McEwen. Candlewick, 2003. Gr. 2-4
The marvelous and peculiar adventures of the hapless Gaskitt family take on a mysterious tinge in this third volume, wherein pets are disappearing all over town. (BCCB 6/03)

Banks, Kate. Howie Bowles, Secret Agent; illus. by Isaac Millman. Foster/Farrar, 1999. Gr. 2-4
Pretense turns to reality when third-grader Howie, who's been claiming to be a secret agent, must solve a genuine mystery in this accessible chapter book. (BCCB 12/99)

Byars, Betsy. Death's Door: A Herculeah Jones Mystery. Viking, 1997. Gr. 4-7
One of the strongest in the Herculeah Jones series, this fourth volume sends Herculeah and her sidekick, Meat, off to solve the attempted murder of Meat's Uncle Neiman. (BCCB 6/97)

Hale, Bruce. The Chameleon Wore Chartreuse: From the Tattered Casebook of Chet Gecko, Private Eye; written and illus. by Bruce Hale. Harcourt, 2000. Gr. 3-5
The deadpan monosyllabic style and drolly drafted drawings imbue this story of a fourth-grade lizard gumshoe with ample humor. (BCCB 6/00)

Keller, Holly. Angela's Top-Secret Computer Club; written and illus. by Holly Keller. Greenwillow, 1998. Gr. 2-4
In this breezy and entertaining mystery, Angela must follow through after recklessly bragging that she and her computer club can find out who's breaking into the school computer. (BCCB 3/98)

Levin, Betty. Shoddy Cove. Greenwillow, 2003. Gr. 4-8
Clare's work in the living museum brings her face to face with two contemporary runaways and an unsolved nineteenth-century mystery. (BCCB 6/03)

Maynard, Bill. Pondfire. Putnam, 2000. Gr. 4-7
Fire-shy Jed is the son of the local fire chief, and the misguided results of his attempts to overcome his fear lead people to suspect him when a series of arson fires blaze around town. (BCCB 3/00).

Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. Bernie Magruder & the Bats in the Belfry. Atheneum, 2003. Gr. 4-7
In this latest episode of Bernie Magruder's sleuthing exploits, he and his intrepid companions must save the citizens of Middleburg from an infestation of bats in the belfry--and everywhere else. (BCCB 4/03)

Rector, Rebecca Kraft. Tria and the Great Star Rescue. Delacorte, 2002. Gr. 4-7
Mystery meets sci-fi in this action driven story of sheltered Tria's excursion to the dreaded Outside in order to rescue her kidnapped mother. (BCCB 9/02)

Stanley, Diane. The Mysterious Matter of I. M. Fine. HarperCollins, 2001. Gr. 4-8
A slyly satiric portrait of R. L. Stine adds enjoyment to this solid mystery, wherein Franny and her best friend investigate the strange effects of a popular author's books. (BCCB 10/01)

Stenhouse, Ted. Across the Steel River. Kids Can, 2001. Gr. 5-8
The local police brush off the beating of a Siksika Indian war hero in small-town 1950s Canada, but Will Samson goes after the real story to prove his loyalty to his Siksika best friend, Arthur. (BCCB 1/02)

Stewart, Linda. The Big Catnap. Cheshire House, 2000. Gr. 5-9
This feline homage to Raymond Chandler has enough catty humor and genre play to appeal to a wide variety of young readers. (BCCB 11/00)

Van Draanen, Wendelin. Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief. Knopf, 1998. Gr. 5-8.
Seventh-grader Sammy spots a burglary in progress through her binoculars, but when she can't get anybody to believe her, the tough, hard-hitting girl sets out to solve the crime herself. (BCCB 7/98)

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