Parents' Guide to A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall

A STRANGE THING HAPPENED AT CHERRY HALL begins in the dark of night at the Penelope L. Brooks Museum. A thief has made off with a valuable painting called Untitled, and the only one to see the thief is a turtle named Agatha, who lives in the museum's garden. Rami Ahmed knows a lot about the museum, as his mother works there and he often spends time in the Cherry Hall gallery waiting for her to finish for the day. One afternoon, shortly after the theft, Rami is sitting alone in the gallery when he hears a voice and then sees a girl who's floating above the floor. She's surprised he can hear or see her and tells Rami she doesn't know who she is. But Rami knows: She's the girl in the painting. The theft is big news, and everyone who was at the museum the day of the theft (even Rami and his mother) are considered suspects. But Rami's classmate, Veda, isn't sure it's an inside job. She thinks some rich dude stole it. An aspiring detective, she has decided that solving the theft will be her first case, and she talks Rami into teaming up with her to track down the thief. Meanwhile, Agatha has been dreaming about drawing a picture of the person she saw leaving the museum that night. A person she now recognizes. When Veda convinces Rami to try to find a hidden way into the museum to look for clues, they're almost caught. But not before they see Agatha's drawing in the dirt.