The Absent Author. The Bald Bandit. The Haunted Hotel. The Zombie Zone. Isn’t this the kind of series you could see any child longing to collect?
Book series are special and that’s why, for each reading programme, I try to introduce at least one. They’re sure shot ways of getting children hooked to reading! During my first reading programme, I introduced the hOle books with Trouble with Magic. During the second, it was the Amelia Bedelia series. Now, it’s the A to Z Mysteries.
Dink invites his favourite author, Wallis Wallace, to Green Lawn, and joy of joys! He receives a note from the author accepting the invitation! Unless he’s kidnapped, Wallis Wallace promises to come to the Book Nook and meet Dink and his friends. When he doesn’t show up, Dink has a mystery on his hands – the mystery of the absent author!
Meticulously, Dink, Josh and Ruth go through Wallis Wallace’s itinerary, trying to figure out when exactly the author was kidnapped. Step by step, they examine clues and investigate. Where could Wallis Wallace be?
Puzzles
Solving a puzzle is among the most satisfying things in the world. Isn’t that what draws us to detective stories? All the clues are right there in front of our eyes.
Dink, Josh and Ruth solve the mystery of the absent author in a simple, systematic way. We’ll do a puzzle or two too – a jigsaw puzzle, a simple logic puzzle and a word puzzle!
Journaling
The three young detectives solve the mystery successfully because they have with them a detailed itinerary that Wallis Wallace was supposed to follow. This is the perfect prompt to get children to write about their own days. How do they spend their days? I’ll be giving them a template that they can fill in and send back to me. Journaling is a lovely way to be more attentive, and to start the process of writing for fun.
Setting up a club
As a child, I read so many books by Enid Blyton that I set up more clubs than I could count. I even set up clubs where I was the sole member so that I could have meetings with myself! Dink, Josh and Ruth are a gang of detective kids much like the ones I read about as a child. As we’re reading the book together at a book club, let’s have fun! We’ll think of a name for the club, perhaps make badges. I can’t wait to see what the children come up with!
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