From the back cover:

The Team: In this story siblings Max and Mia Holmes, along with their good friend Morris and their flamboyant Granny Holmes, are known as The Crypto-Capers. They are a group of detectives who unravel crimes by solving cryptograms that criminals leave behind. Mia is an expert puzzle solver. Max is great at deduction and reasoning. Morris is a computer genius, and Granny . . . well, Granny is the muscle of the group. Don t let her size or age fool you she is quite handy. The Stolen Items: An antique sock (just one) and Prada sunglasses. The Assignment: The Case of the Missing Sock leads the Crypto-Capers to Florida, where they are hired by a Mr. Delacomb. The mystery leads the team to different locations. Clues flourish throughout the mystery. Suspects by the handful seem to pop up at every turn, but who committed the crime? Help the detectives solve the case by solving the cryptograms and puzzles. Good luck!

Reviewed by Genna, Age 9

A Book for Puzzle Lovers

This book is a mystery about a jeweled sock once owned by Elvis Presley. Morris, Granny, Mia and Max solve the mystery of the missing sock by figuring out cryptograms and by using a lot of magnifying glasses.

A cryptogram is a message that you have to decode.

My favorite part of this book was the ending when they figured out who stole the sock. I hadn’t guessed it yet! I loved the ending because it was a good surprise.

The cryptograms were mysterious and fun. After reading this, I would like to make my own cryptograms. I would make cryptograms with my friends for treasure maps!

 

My favorite character was Granny because she has a lot of adventure and heart. Sometimes she made me laugh too. Once she snuck off and tried to look around the mansion by herself. I liked sneaking off with Granny.

If I had to solve this mystery I would have really enjoyed it.

I like the illustration on the cover because it’s done in pencil crayon and Morris’ shoe is untied.

I would recommend this book to people who like mystery and puzzles.

Reading level: Ages 9-12

Paperback: 128 pages

Publisher: North Star Press of St. Cloud, Inc. (October 1, 2008)

ISBN-10: 0878393048

ISBN-13: 978-0878393046

Visit Renee Hand’s website for more mystery fun and contests. She teaches children how to write their own mysteries. I do this a lot and the children love it. When finished, each child can send their mystery to be posted on Renee’s website and blog for a week or so. She also includes bio about the child and a brief interview.

Check it out at www.reneeahand.com.