Common Sense Media Review
By Carrie Kingsley
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Witty illustrations help bring funny mystery to life.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 4+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
CHAPTER TWO IS MISSING takes a standard mystery and turns it backward -- literally. The narrator is frantically looking for the missing chapter in his book, and the detective on the case is useless. The hapless book janitor (because every book needs a janitor to keep the pages clean and tidy) is even less help, and soon becomes the prime suspect. As letters go missing and random pages of other stories start appearing, our narrator is even more determined to solve the mystery himself.
Is It Any Good?
Creative, energetic, and full of fun, this mystery is a unique take on storytelling that will delight young readers. Chapter Two is Missing weaves words and illustrations together with silly banter to make the book more about the behind-the-scenes making of the book than the mystery itself. Saying the words with missing letters makes reading aloud fun and entertaining, and here's a tip for anyone who wants to know the truth about Chapter 2: Unless the reader is proficient in reading backward, have a mirror handy to see how the mystery is solved.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how a story is affected by individual parts of it. When Chapter Two Is Missing, how did missing words and letters change the flow of the story?
Do you think that the janitor's way of taking revenge is funny, mean, or something else?
What are some of your favorite silly books?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Kevin Cornell
- Genre : Picture Book
- Topics : Adventures , Numbers and Letters
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Penguin Young Readers Group
- Publication date : October 29, 2019
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 4 - 6
- Number of pages : 48
- Available on : Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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