WHO STOLE THE WIZARD OF OZ?
by Avi
Who stole The Wizard of Oz? As Becky was asking for it just before the used copy disappeared from the library with four other second-hand children’s classics, she is questioned by a suspicious policeman. To clear her name, then, Becky and her brother Toby determine to find the real thief. The books, they discover, were owned by a supposedly rich old lady who willed them to her ungrateful niece. The niece in turn gave them to the library. As the books themselves aren’t valuable, the children decide they must contain clues to something of value. After reading all five, Becky and Toby use their maps and other clues to track down a rare Alice in Wonderland hidden behind a mirror in the library…where they then wait in the dark of night to trap the thief. There are no thrills, no personalities to speak of, no secondary rewards of any sort – just a one-dimensional mystery. Within that limit, Avi does keep readers puzzling and piecing out the solution at Becky and Toby’s pace. 8-10