The Detective’s Handbook contains all the tricks and skills the budding super-sleuth will need, such as identifying fingerprints and handwriting, examining witnesses and reading clues. Much of the book uses comic book illustrations with a touch of Inspector Gadget thrown in! (Review written by Cynthia 1/31/09)
My 10 year old has really enjoyed this book this winter! Ideal for children with lots of imagination, who enjoy reading, learning and trying to do new things. This book is great for children 8+, contains 192 pages and would be great for kids who love to read and also for relunctant readers.
Easy to read even with just a few minutes of time (in the car, waiting to see the doctor) or if you just want to find out how a detective tracks stolen loot. Some of the information you will find inside is:
- Pages that give us clues. For example, a drawing of a woman’s hand with a wedding ring. The clues tell us she is married and then points out she writes with her left hand as well. Then you realize there is a writer’s callus. I love that they show you something that seems obvious then points out something that’s not noticeable until you look for it.
- How dogs are trained and what kind of work they do.
- Solving a crime using a series of clues gathered by eyewitnesses.
- How to question witnesses and suspects. Checking alibis. Covers some math skills a detective would use along the way to solve a crime.
- Find out how: money is made & forged, find if photo’s or evidence is fakes, spot imposters and finding hidden loot!
A few of the hands-on activities!
- How to create a disguise.
- Create an identi-flick book to show witnesses using word descriptions and drawings.
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The Wickit Chronicles by Joan Lennon Age 9+, $5.95 each, 159 pages “…an atmospheric tale told with the simplicity and poetic rhythm of medieval ritual. Readers with an interest in medieval tales of dragons and heroes as well as those who enjoy a captivating plot and engaging characters will find this debut in “The Wickit Chronicles” to be addictive fun.” – Curled up Kids
Book 1) Ely Plot: You’d think growing up in a medieval abbey, surrounded by nothing but monks and hundreds of miles of swamp, would be pretty boring. Pip thinks so too, until the day he meets Perfect, a small stone gargoyle with a life of her own.
Before long, the two find themselves in the middle of an assassination attempt against the new king. Escaping into the cold dark night, being chased across the fens by a man intent on killing them… Boring? Not exactly. #605845
Book 2) Fen Gold: Trouble is heading for Wickit Monastery – from the King’s court comes Cedric with a chip on his shoulder, and from the land of the Vikings, Rane, a beautiful Norse girl, who arrives with her henchmen in tow. But what are they really here for?
Soon Pip and Perfect find themselves caught up in a search for buried treasure, which leads them all the way to the dreaded Black Bog, the very last place they want to be. And then there’s that strange feeling that they’re being watched… #605876
Book 3) Ice Road: It’s the harshest winter anyone can remember, and the vast waterways of the Fens are frozen solid, transformed into an Ice Road. The conditions are ideal for a surprise invasion by young King Arnald’s banished uncle. Wickit Monastery is under threat too – a bitter illness has struck down almost all the brothers, and a ghost walks across the snow. Can the orphan Pip and Perfect (the stone gargoyle), save the Brothers, their friend the King, and their country? #605975
Jack Russell: Dog Detective Series. “Whether your child loves dogs or mysteries, the Jack Russell: Dog Detective series will catch his attention. Each book is filled with the excitement of discovering a new case to be solved. – Suite 101 Age 9+, 84 pages, $4.95, 8 books in the series
JACK RUSSELL: the detective with a nose for crime.
#1) When someone steals an old boot, Jack doesn’t care. Then someone steals his squeaker bone. And his blanket. And Red’s ball. Now Jack DOES care. Who is the thief of Doggeroo? How will Jack solve the case of – the DOG DEN MYSTERY? #605180, 84 pages
#2) All dogs like mud. All dogs like biscuits. This is a fact. But when mud and biscuits happen at the same time, Jack knows there is skulldoggery in the air. Who is mudding the show dogs of Doggeroo? Can Jack solve the mystery of – THE PHANTOM MUDDER? #605197, 84 pages
#3) What’s happening to the collars of Doggeroo? First Shuffle the pug gets mugged. Then the ranger catches him without his collar. So when Red’s collar is stolen, Jack knows he has a case on his paws. Will an attack of the jack-pack be enough to nobble the mugger? Can Jack get to the bottom of – THE MUGGED PUG? #605326, 84 pages
#4) There’s a new postman in Doggeroo-and he doesn’t know the rules of the Postman Game. Not only does he accuse Foxie of biting him, but he also calls Jack a mongrel! And when Fat Molly Cat from the library comes to stay with Auntie Tidge, things don’t get any better. What did Jack find caught on the fence? Will it help him solve the case of – THE LYING POSTMAN? #605319, 84 pages
#5) When Jack and Foxie return from vacation, they can tell that something terrier-able is wrong in Doggeroo.
Why are all the dogs in Doggeroo hiding under their beds? Who – or what – has scratched their noses? Why are they so terrier-fied?
It’s a case for the dog with the nose that knows. But soon, Jack is hiding under his bed, too. So, how will he solve the case of – THE AWFUL PAWFUL? #605531, 84 pages
#6) However, this latest book, The Sausage Situation, is like none of the other books in the series. The story twists and turns, getting readers to guess and second-guess the outcome.” There’s a thief at Doggeroo Dog and Sausage Day and Jack soon finds he has a Sausage Situation on his paws.
Who is the canine criminal? Surely not Lord Red, dressed up as a corn dog, or the Squekes, who look like hairy wasps in their striped suits. When Jack calls for backup, pan-dog-monium ensues. There is going to be a terrier-able disaster if someone doesn’t take maters in paw.
Jack is just the dog for the job. But will he be able to crack the case of – THE SAUSAGE SITUATION? #605548, 84 pages
#7) When two boys throw biscuits into Foxie’s terrier-tory, Jack knows something strange is going on. He carries out jaw-rensic testing and discovers that there is a biscuit thief in Doggeroo and dogs are being blamed! How will he unearth the truth of The Buried Biscuits? #605777, 84 pages
#8) There’s a kitnapper on the loose in Doggeroo, and he has cat-snatched an old enemy!
It could be a case for Jack Russell, Dog Detective, but he has other things on his mind. Foxie is sulking, Sarge is sick, and Preacher, the junior Jack, is in danger. Can Jack spare the time to investigate the case of…The Kitnapped Creature? #605821, 80 pages
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