Title: The Mystery of the Missing Jewels
Author: Jessica Leigh Stevens
Series: Detective Duo Ned and Uncle Jim, book 1
Major Themes: Dyslexia
Synopsis: When things start to disappear from the local secondhand shop, Ned and his Uncle Jim team up to solve the mystery.
When I saw the description of The Mystery of the Missing Jewels, and that it featured a dyslexic boy, I knew I had to read this one. You see, I am the mother and teacher of several dyslexic boys! That makes dyslexia a topic that is close to my heart. I read almost anything I can find on the topic.
Publisher’s description:
This fun and exciting middle school mystery series sees Ned and his Uncle Jim use their super-sharp detective skills to solve mysteries in Lakeside. Incidentally, both are dyslexic. But that’s not going to stop them! Dyslexia might present some challenges with spelling and reading, but it also makes them great at solving puzzles, cracking codes and thinking outside the box. Armed with these superpowers, they make the perfect team for solving mysteries.
Ned and his uncle Jim, a retired detective, live in Lakeside Village. It’s a quiet place where nothing much seems to happen…or at least, that was the case. Now, there are mysterious events and they all seem to center around a cold case Uncle Jim had been working on before he retired.
On top of that, treasures are disappearing from the Cheap and Cheerful, a second-hand goods store. But who would want to steal from the owner? Uncle Jim and Ned find hidden secrets and uncover even stranger happenings than just the theft. Why are there unusual sets of footprints? What is the significance of the feather they find? And why does the owner of the shop suddenly seem suspicious?
It’s up to Ned and Uncle Jim to use their detective skills and dyslexic advantages to discover the person behind the thefts and maybe even crack the cold case. However, it might be more than the two can handle.
My thoughts:
I enjoyed The Mystery of the Missing Jewels. It is a simple, gentle mystery, but fun. It was fun to see Ned and Uncle Jim working together to figure out what was happening. One mystery was completely solved in this book, but another is still waiting to be solved!
I read this book to myself to see what it was like and write the review as soon as possible, but I plan to read it aloud to my children soon. I know the boys will be delighted to hear about Uncle Jim’s old Land Cruiser! That is one of their favorite vehicles, and since they have an older brother who restores old cars, they’ll enjoy that aspect of the story. For animal lovers, a dog is included, who goes with Ned and Uncle Jim on all their investigations.
While this book is not great literature, it is a fun story that might encourage children to read. It is great for those children who like adventure but don’t like intense action or violence. It also encourages good family relationships. I’ll be watching for the sequel to come out!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley, and these are my honest thoughts about it.
WARNING: Chapter 6: Someone fires warning gunshots. Chapter 10: A man is making dream catchers and “trying to create a mystical image while talking about turning bad luck into good.”
Age levels:
Listening Level—Ages 5 – 8, 8 – 12, Family Friendly
Reading Independently—Ages 8 – 12
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
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