Readers who enjoy classic mystery stories such as Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, or the Bobbsey Twins will enjoy this young detective and his spunky little dog. Djuna lives in a small town called Edenboro. He and his dog, Champ, are free to explore the woods and fields around town, fish in Lost Pond, and spend time with his friends Tommy and Mr. Boots. If he wants, he can even hang out with Clarabelle, Mr. Pindler's niece. Picture a sleepy little town, even quieter than Mayberry, and you might come close to envisioning Edenboro. But things don't stay quiet for long. Mr. Boots gets a letter in the mail and suddenly changes from pleasant and friendly to nervous and grumpy. When Tommy and Djuna get a ride into nearby Clinton to buy some fish hooks, they see a bank robbery and Champ is almost shot by the robbers for chasing their getaway car. Clarabelle hears a truck driving around town in the middle of the night when everyone should be in bed. Someone breaks into the shop where Mr. Boots keeps his carpentry and house-painting supplies and steals over a dozen cans of paint. What in the world has gotten into everyone? And why can't the police find the robbers when they have a description of their car and know they were headed up the highway to Canada? It's all very strange and Djuna's mind can't help turning the facts over and over, trying to make sense of everything.
If you know a young mystery lover who doesn't mind a story set in the 1940s, you should have them try out this first in the adventures of Djuna and his friends. And who wouldn't love a story where a trusty little Scottie grabs a bank robber by the ankle and chases him out of town? These stories were originally written over 60 years ago and are being introduced to a new generation of readers. (The cover above showing Djuna running away from the shack is the original cover; the one with the silhouettes is the newer one.)
I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
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