Have your junior sleuth solve the Loon Lake Monster and other mysteries with the 12-year-old detectives Hawkeye and Amy.
Does your child fancy herself as an amateur detective? Does your child enjoy solving puzzles and figuring things out for himself? If so, you’ll want to check out author M. Masters book series Can You Solve the Mystery.
In The Secret of the Loon Lake Monster (Spotlight, ISBN: 978-1-59961-146-4), Hawkeye Collins and Amy Adams are faced with nine mysteries that you have to help solve. The mysteries are The Case of the Bragging Boyfriend, The Case of the Splattered Sheets, The Mystery of the Telltale Timepiece, The Case of the Computer Cutup, The Secret of the Loon Lake Monster, The Case of the Nabbed Necklace, The Secret of the Concealed Cash, The Mystery of the Midnight Trickster, and The Case of the Camera Snatcher.
Here’s how the cases are solved:
First, read through the case. Each case is only a few pages long.
Second, pay attention to all the possible clues. For example, make a mental note of any time given, places, and conversations.
Third, closely examine the picture drawing that goes with the case. Each picture holds clues to solve the case.
Finally, put all the clues together to solve the case and then turn to the back of the book to see if you are correct. Then solutions at the back of the book are written backwards so you will need a mirror to read them.
The Secret of the Loon Lake Monster is a fun book for kids who enjoy playing detective. Each case that needs solving is short which makes this a great take along book for kids who may have to wait in a reception area or take a bus trip.
Each case would also make a good home school lesson for reading comprehension. For example, your child will read one case and, when he is finished, write out he solved the case by listing the clues given in the text and in the accompanying drawing.
Another way The Secret of the Loon Lake Monster can be used in a school or home school environment is by discussing the lessons learned in each story and attaching a separate activity to each case. Take the first case, The Case of the Bragging Boyfriend, as an example. In this story, Amy’s cousin Laurel has a new boyfriend. This new boyfriend, Pete, seems too amazing to be real. Pete tells Amy and Hawkeye his amazing stories of taming wild horses and falling out of a rowboat to brave the rapids of the Colorado River. However, when Pete tells them about how he hiked Mount Everest in a few hours, they get suspicious. In the end, Amy and Hawkeye discover that Pete is full of hot air. To children reading this case, the story is more than a mystery. The Case of the Bragging Boyfriend is about not believing everything you hear. As an educator, you can discuss with your student or students why it is important to use your brain and think things through before believing a seemingly amazing tale. A simple essay question should follow the discussion.
