Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms

For those who like their mysteries of the little gray cell variety, with logical puzzles, codes, crossword clues, maps, and conundrums, this story of a magician's great-nephew is a treat. Ten-year-old Stuart Horten must locate a long-lost conjurer's workshop in the small town where he lives. He has some adventures, but mostly he does research and thinks--an Encyclopedia Brown for our time.

For those who like their mysteries of the little gray cell variety, with logical puzzles, codes, crossword clues, maps, and conundrums, this story of a magician's great-nephew is a treat. It falls to ten-year-old Stuart Horten to locate a long-lost conjurer's workshop in the small town where he lives. His parents are pleasantly daft and don't get in the way; he has a sparky relationship with his female sidekick; the clues are laid out clearly, except for toothsome red herrings; the bad guys (and gals) are half-bumbling, half-malevolent; the mechanisms are intriguing; and there is even a set of triplets on hand when identity confusion is required by the plot. Stuart hides out in a museum, braves several dark, scary places, and gets a couple of bumps on the head, but mostly he does research and thinks -- an Encyclopedia Brown for our time. The whole thing is reliably funny, and there is no angst. What more could an early middle-grader want? sarah ellis