Common Sense Media Review
By Carrie Kingsley
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
First-graders solve suspenseful mysteries month by month.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 6+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
In the CALENDAR MYSTERIES, first-graders Lucy, Nate, and twins Bradley and Brian face spooky, strange situations in their town of Green Lawn (the same place as the series featuring their older siblings, A to Z Mysteries). With a mystery set in each month of the year, the kids have to figure out if there really are aliens in the snow, what happened to all the items suddenly missing when school is out for summer, why the kids who enter a Halloween haunted house keep disappearing, and more. The kids' parents, siblings and friends try to help out, and Officer Fallon of the town's police department is always on hand -- unless, of course, he's part of the mystery. ...
Is It Any Good?
These are fun, suspenseful, simple mysteries for kids new to chapter books. The books are a little meandering for adults reading aloud, but young readers will enjoy the details, slow pace, and jokes throughout each mystery. Each month of the Calendar Mysteries does a nice job of keeping the suspense and not giving too many hints, and balances that with a good amount of joking between the kids. Adults know it's unrealistic that an entire town would elaborately prank four first-graders, but it's sweet to perpetuate the idea that town is an extension of family for young readers.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the careful, logical approach the kids in the Calendar Mysteries take to things they don't understand. How does being organized and thoughtful help them figure out what steps to take next?
The kids sometimes ask an adult for help. How do you decide when you need to ask for help and when you should keep trying on your own?
What are some of your other favorite mystery books?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : John Steve Gurney
- Genre : Mystery
- Topics : Adventures , Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Friendship
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Random House
- Publication date : December 22, 2009
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 6 - 9
- Number of pages : 74
- Available on : Paperback, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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