The Clue of the Left-Handed Envelope

by George E. Stanley, Salvatore Murdocca (Illustrator)

Overview

WHO SENT AMBER LEE AN ANONYMOUS LETTER?
Everyone loves the new teacher, Mr. Merlin. Mr. Merlin used to be a spy, and he knows all about secret codes and the strange and gross ways the police solve mysteries.
Now there's a mystery in their very own class — someone sent Amber Lee Johnson an anonymous letter. Noelle and Todd want to solve the mystery before anyone else. But first they have to figure out Mr. Merlin's clues. How can a bunch of envelopes tell them who sent the letter?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780689821943
Publisher:	Aladdin
Publication date:	10/01/2000
Series:	Third-Grade Detectives , #1
Edition description:	Repackage
Pages:	64
Sales rank:	170,664
Product dimensions:	5.12(w) x 7.62(h) x 0.20(d)
Lexile:	550L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

George Stanley was a Professor of African and Middle-Eastern Languages and Linguistics at Cameron University. In between prepping class lectures and grading papers, he found the time to write for children. He was also the author of Night Fires and the Third-Grade Detectives series.

Salvatore Murdocca has illustrated more than 200 children’s trade and textbooks. He is also a librettist for children’s opera, a video artist, an avid runner, hiker, bicyclist, and a teacher of children’s illustration at the Parsons School of Design. Sal lives and works in New York with his wife, Nancy.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 2-3-On the first day of school, Noelle and Todd meet their new teacher, Mr. Merlin, a self-professed ex-spy. Someone has sent Amber Lee a secret-admirer letter and the students get involved in unmasking the writer. Mr. Merlin hones the third graders' logic skills with two code-breaking exercises and introduces an acquaintance who is a police lab scientist who can corroborate the clues found. While the 10 chapters move along quickly, the characters lack development. Though this series may appeal to those who have exhausted David Adler's "Cam Jansen" books (Viking), readers might be better served by other chapter-book series, including Stephen Krensky's "Arthur" books (Little, Brown). A pleasant, nonthreatening read.-Kay Bowes, Concord Pike Library, Wilmington, DE Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

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