October Link-Up: Old School Kidlit Reading Challenge (Mystery Stories)

This month, I read four mysteries for this challenge:

• Jamie and the Mystery Quilt by Vicki Berger Erwin (1987)
• The Tower Treasure (1927) and The Tower Treasure (1959) by Franklin W. Dixon
• The Crow and the Castle by Keith Robertson (1957)
• The Minnow Leads to Treasure by Philippa Pearce (1955)

Which mysteries did you enjoy this month? Share your links in comments, and have a happy Halloween!

Book Review: Jack the Bum and the Halloween Handout by Janet Schulman, illustrated by James Stevenson (1977)

Jack the Bum and the Halloween Handout is a 1977 easy reader about a homeless man named Jack who is inspired by trick-or-treaters to go door-to-door asking for money, not for UNICEF, as many of the children do, but for himself, a self-described "worthy cause." When he is rebuffed again and again by suspicious adults who recognize that he is not a child, Jack ends up stumbling upon a costume contest, which he wins for the authenticity of his bum costume. When it is revealed that he is not in fact dressed up, there is a question of whether he should be allowed to keep the five dollar reward. After some debate, Jack decides he will join in the spirit of the holiday, and he donates his winnings to UNICEF.

Ordinarily, I don't like to give away endings in my reviews, but this book is so laughably odd, and so unlikely to be of interest to contemporary children that I have made an exception. This post is really less of a review and more of an amused meditation on how a book like this even exists.

The first thing about this book that struck me as unusual is the use of an adult homeless male as its sympathetic and amusing protagonist. During my childhood in the 80s, it was already commonplace to encourage kids to stay away from strangers, and today, I think many parents are even more concerned about potential predators. I can't imagine a contemporary author writing a book like this, which causes kids to sympathize with someone who poses as a trick-or-treating child in order to beg for money. Nothing remotely untoward happens in the story, and I tend to be pretty skeptical of the paranoia surrounding stranger danger, but I couldn't help but think that this is a definite product of the '70s. If this were written today, Jack would have been a child, and his big Halloween reward would have been a caring new family, not a 5-dollar bill.

I was also surprised (and amused) by how freely politically incorrect this book is. There are no euphemisms to describe Jack's station in life. He is labeled a bum by the first person he panhandles ("I am a worthy cause," said Jack. "No. You are a bum," said the man.) and is thereafter called a bum as though this is the proper word to describe the poor and/or homeless. I am no more interested in policing speech than I am in vilifying all strangers as potential kidnappers, but apparently even I have been conditioned to cringe at the use of a "label" for a marginalized person, even a label to which the character does not object in a story where the author's attitude toward said character is one of sympathy, not mockery. At the same time, though, there is something refreshing about a book that doesn't take itself seriously. I feel like contemporary picture books are often trying very hard; this one, by contrast, barely seems to try at all!

The most baffling thing about this book, however, is the ending. UNICEF is mentioned nearly a dozen times throughout the story, and those characters who collect money for UNICEF are clearly considered to be doing the right thing and putting others ahead of themselves. But when Jack wins the costume contest and it turns out that he is the exact kind of person who could use some financial help, everyone just lets him donate his only five dollars to UNICEF! This book is already so strange that I guess I didn't really expect it to teach a moral lesson, or even to make sense, but I have to wonder what the kids of the late 1970s took away from it. Kirkus seemed to like it at the time, but I don't think even they would feel the same way today.

Jack the Bum starred in two other easy readers: Jack the Bum and the Haunted House and Jack the Bum and the UFO. Alas, Open Library, where I found this book, doesn't have either of the other two, so I can only imagine how bizarre they must also be.  Personally, I think this one book is enough, and I enjoyed the chuckle it gave me, but I'm in no hurry to pass it on to my own beginning reader. Mostly, I am just entertained by the fact that there was a time when a book like this was written, published, and met with critical acclaim.

Book Review: The Minnow Leads to Treasure by Philippa Pearce (1955)

When David Moss first meets Adam Codling, he is only hoping the other boy might allow him to share his canoe, which accidentally slipped away down the River Say and ended up behind his house. As the two boys get to know one another, however, David realizes that he and Adam have not just the canoe to bond their friendship, but a mysterious Codling family secret involving a hidden treasure and an easily misinterpreted clue. Though the treasure hunt is mainly a source of summer fun for David, it is much more for Adam, whose family is struggling so much financially that he and the aunt who is raising him may have to move away from their beloved riverside home. David wants nothing more than for Adam to stay, and for his family to find happiness again, but with Codlings' about to be sold, there isn't much time, or much hope, left.

The Minnow Leads to Treasure (called The Minnow on the Say in the UK) is quite well-written, but unfortunately, the story didn't grab me as strongly as I had hoped. Philippa Pearce's Tom's Midnight Garden is one of my all-time favorite children's novels, and a unique and nuanced story, at that. By comparison, therefore, this straightforward mystery/adventure story just feels mundane. I also already have a good number of favorite mystery books involving British kids and boats (No Boats on Bannermere and The Big Six, for example), so I just didn't develop the same level of affection for these characters or this setting. There is nothing wrong with The Minnow Leads to Treasure, it just didn't rank as a favorite for me, despite my hope that it would.

That said, boys, especially, who are interested in boats and enjoy solving puzzles and riddles will absolutely love this book. The chapters are short enough that it would make a good read-aloud, and the resolution of the mystery and how it is solved are satisfying and mostly unpredictable, at least until pretty close to the end of the book. The characters are also likable and believable, as are the reactions of the adults to their insistence on tracking down the treasure. Honestly, I think I'd just recommend reading this book before Tom's Midnight Garden. That way, this one doesn't feel like a let-down and Tom's Midnight Garden can really blow you away! 

The RAHM Report for 10/23/17

The biggest thing I have to report this week is that it's a girl! After waiting three days past my due date, our new baby, known henceforth here on the blog as Little Jumping Joan, finally arrived on Wednesday night. I spent the first half of the week reading to pass the time until labor started and the second half reading while I sat on the couch and tried to recover from delivering a child who weighed nearly 10 pounds.  Here are the books that have been keeping me company.

Finished Reading: 

• Slider by Pete Hautman
  I won an ARC of this book from Armchair Book Expo and it was the perfect light, funny middle grade read to enjoy right before having a baby. I started it on Tuesday before the baby came and finished it up on Sunday afternoon while all three girls napped. It will be a while before I get around to posting a review, but I will say that this book made me want to check out some of the author's other works which I have previously overlooked for some reason.
• Would My Fortune Cookie Lie? by Stella Pevsner
  I've had this book hanging around since picking it up at a used book sale over the summer. I picked it up early in the week and zipped right through it. Though I've decided not to keep the book, I did really love the mystery elements of this family- and friendship-centered story, and I'm a little disappointed that I didn't discover this author when I was a kid! 
• It's All Downhill From Here by Lynn Johnston
  This weekend, I had the urge to read something very light and easy, and something gave me the idea to search for For Better of For Worse comics collections on Open Library. I used to love reading these comic strips in the newspaper when I was in high school, and they were the perfect thing to read throughout the day as I had free moments. Open Library has a few more of the collections, so I'll probably get to those in the next few weeks.

Currently Reading: 

• The Original Adventures of Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy by Johnny Gruelle
  We've taken a break from this read-aloud, but will be getting back to it after Halloween. We only have a handful of Raggedy Andy chapters left, so it shouldn't take much longer to finish.
• Peeled by Joan Bauer
  I only have this on Open Library for three more days. It's different, but I like it, so I hope I have the chance to finish it! 
• Halloween Treats by Carolyn Haywood
  We've read two chapters from this story collection so far. Miss Muffet likes it, so I'm hoping this will mean she will enjoy many more Carolyn Haywood books in the coming years.
• The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny
  I'm still working my way through this one. I'm not crazy about the fact that it opens with a seance (and during Easter of all times!) but I'm sticking with it because I want to know how the murder happened, and I'm enjoying Gamache, and because I don't want to skip a series book.
• Where are the Children? by Mary Higgins Clark
  I've never read anything by Mary Higgins Clark before. This is apparently her first suspense novel, so I decided to start here. So far, the writing is better than I was expecting.

I'll be linking up today with Unleashing Readers/Teach Mentor Texts and Book Date for It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Book Review: Squashed by Joan Bauer (1992)

Sixteen-year-old Ellie comes from a family of farmers, but her father, her only living parent, does not appreciate the art of growing vegetables, or his daughter's interest in growing a pumpkin worthy of first prize in the adult division at the local harvest fair. But Ellie knows that if she doesn't spend as much time as possible helping her pumpkin gain weight, her arch-rival, Cyril Pool, whose integrity is questionable, will win the title instead. Therefore, despite her dad's lack of understanding, Ellie, with the help and support of her grandmother, her cousin Richard and a classmate named Wes for whom she might have romantic feelings, continues to push for her goal, though pumpkin thieves and bad weather threaten her success.

This cozy Fall read, which was the author's very first novel, is a quick and satisfying story about an unusual teen girl and the hobby that sets her apart from others in her school and community. Though there is conflict - between Ellie and her dad, between Ellie and Cyril, between Ellie and her feelings about her weight,  etc. - there is also a wholesome sense of community and family that gives the book a very uplifting and inspirational feeling. Though the stakes are very low in this story (especially as compared with some of the author's other novels, such as Tell Me, which involves human trafficking, or Soar, where the main character has a serious health problem), the reader is drawn in by the details of what goes into growing an award-worthy pumpkin and easily becomes invested in the question of whether Ellie can take home the prize she so greatly desires.

Though this book is aimed at teens, it is most appropriate for middle school readers who can readily relate to Ellie's feelings of awkwardness around her peers and her (albeit mild) resentment of her father's lack of interest in her chosen hobby. From a character-building perspective, it's a great story to show girls how to be comfortable in their own skin (Ellie never does lose the ten pounds she is worried about at the start of the book, for example) and that sticking with a goal even when the odds are stacked against them is its own success, whether they win or lose.

This is the fourth Joan Bauer novel I have read, and it has renewed my interest in her writing. I plan to read through the rest of her backlist in the coming months in the hopes of uncovering more uplifting and wholesome stories for tweens and young teens.

Book Review: Depend on Katie John by Mary Calhoun (1961)

In this follow-up to Katie John (1960), Katie John Tucker and her parents have fixed up their large Southern house, and they are ready to accept boarders. Katie is enthusiastic about helping to find new tenants, but as the house fills up, she also begins to realize how much work it is going to be to help keep things running smoothly. Not only does she have to help with housework, she also looks after the young son of one of the tenants, and when she receives a puppy for a gift, she has to keep him from disturbing the tenants and surrounding neighbors. In the meantime, Katie is also the new girl in school, and though she is pleased to have Sue as her best friend, she really wants to find a way to win the affection of all of her classmates, which leads her to take on even more work than she can really manage.

As a kid, I was fascinated with the idea of a boarding house, so I really enjoyed meeting each of the characters who come to live in Katie John's house throughout the course of this book. They are a colorful bunch of people, including a pair of women who listen to loud country-western music, Katie John's own teacher from school, and Cousin Ben, a distant relative who shows up unannounced at the start of the cold weather and remains in bed, with his bedroom door wide open to the front hallway, all winter long. The quirks of these characters, and Katie's reactions to them as she becomes more and more overwhelmed by their presence, are the real appeal of this book, and they bring the big Southern house very strongly to life.

The other thing I really loved about this book is that it shows a 10-year-old girl as a dependable, helpful, and capable contributor to her household. By contemporary standards, Katie John does seem to have a lot of responsibilities, but I liked that her parents allowed her to work out many of her own problems independently, and that she resolves many of the difficulties in the book by her own wits. I also like that she makes her fair share of mistakes, but that these do not serve to undermine her overall positive contributions to the boarding house, and to her classroom as well. I look forward to reading the rest of the Katie John books: Honestly, Katie John! and Katie John and Heathcliff and will gladly save the series for my girls to read in a few years.

Book Review: The Crow and the Castle by Keith Robertson (1957)

The Crow and the Castle is the third of four books in the Carson Street Detective Agency series by Henry Reed, Inc. author Keith Robertson. In this book, teen detectives Neil, who narrates the story, and Swede, his best friend, are hired by a stranger in town to take photographs of a chess set owned by the ornery and hot-tempered Captain Wudge. In their attempts to gain access to Captain Wudge's house in order to snap the photos, they discover that some housebreakers are also intent on getting inside so they can steal a chess set from the Captain's collection. Curious as to whether the stranger who hired them is connected to the housebreakers, the two boys get to know Captain Wudge and slowly piece together their nefarious plot. Meanwhile, Neil's pet crow, Hector, complicates matters with his penchant for collecting and absconding with small objects.

This book was such fun to read. The main characters are funny and charming with a mischievous streak and a boyish sense of humor. Unlike the Hardy Boys books, whose storylines often feel forced and inauthentic, this book is sufficiently grounded in reality to make almost anything feel believable even if it is far-fetched. I had no difficulty at all accepting that these boys were accomplished detectives, nor was it difficult to buy into the role Hector the crow winds up playing in the mystery plot. Robertson's light touch and tongue-in-cheek tone make it impossible to take the book too seriously, which makes it very easy to suspend one's disbelief and just enjoy a good mystery.

Disappointingly, this book is out of print and so rare I doubt I will ever have a chance to own a copy. I'm so thankful that Open Library has it, however, because this was the exact kind of mystery I'd have loved as a kid, and I would have hated to miss out on it. I loved all the details about the history of chess and chess sets, and the fact that, though there is some real danger to the boys in the story, the reader is never really scared and it is always clear that things will come to a safe and satisfying ending. Book two of the series, Three Stuffed Owls (1954), is also available from Open Library, so I hope to read that in the near future. The last book, The Money Machine (1969) is also pretty widely available from used booksellers, so it's possible I'll be able to get my hands on that as well. Sadly, book one, The Mystery of Burnt Hill (1952)  is selling on Amazon right now for over 95 dollars, which is outside of my book budget for any single title, no matter how much I love the author!

This book was a wonderful surprise, and I would recommend it wholeheartedly to fans of the author as well as to young teen boys who are mystery fans, chess players, or both.