Somehow, we ended up with a strange crew of detectives in our latest podcast, all about mysteries. We’ve got a riddle-solving rodent, an investigating insect, and a mastermind Mudshark. Wha…? Guess you’ll just have to tune in if you want to get to the bottom of this enigma!

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Download the MP3 (5.1 MB)
• A resourceful rodent and plenty o’ cheese — aka our mystery book revealed
• Our mystery picks (Mudshark and Joey Fly, Private Eye)
• A musical interlude from Weezer
• A book rec from YOU (Cryptid Hunters)

Also, don’t forget: to get ready for Halloween, our new theme is spooky stuff! So send us a review of your favorite spooky book and check out our picks for Halloween last year, plus our new list of even more spooky stories.

— Karen and Nancy

This book trailer for the Geronimo Stilton series was originally the Mystery Book Theater video for our More Mysteries theme. For more on Geronimo Stilton, check out our “Mysterious Forces at Work” podcast.

If you think that puns are cheesy and that mysteries stink, then you’ll want to stay away from the Geronimo Stilton books. But if you like a mouse whose detective skills are as sharp as his teeth, watch our video!

Did you know October is Mystery Month? And since it’s October right now, that means we’re in the middle of Mystery Month! See our powers of deduction at work? Perfect for Mystery Month! We’d be the awesomest detectives ever, don’t you think?

[awkward silence]

Uh, anyway… Even though we celebrated last October with this booklist of marvelous mysteries, we couldn’t resist dedicating another booklist to even more mysteries. From a scavenger hunt to a stolen book to murder to the meaning of life — here they are (in no particular order):

1. Mudshark by Gary Paulsen (Karen’s pick)
2. Joey Fly, Private Eye in Creepy Crawly Crime (graphic novel) by Aaron Reynolds (Nancy’s pick)
3. Baker Street Irregulars series by Tracy Mack
4. Who Stole the Wizard of Oz? by Avi
5. The House of Dies Drear by Virginia Hamilton
6. Missing series by Margaret Peterson Haddix
7. The Case of the Goblin Pearls by Laurence Yep
8. The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd
9. Eleven by Patricia Reilly Giff
10. Two-Minute Mysteries by Donald J. Sobol
11. Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass
12. The Puzzling World of Winston Breen by Eric Berlin

(And here’s a printable version of our More Mysteries booklist, for you to take to the library or bookstore — or to your local private investigator, if you can’t track them down yourself.)

If you’ve read any of these, send in your book review. Or send in a review of your favorite mystery book. We’ll feature the best kid-submitted reviews in our next podcast!

UPDATE 10/19/10: We revealed the answer to our Mystery Book Mystery Book Theater in the “Mysterious Forces at Work” Podcast, so take a listen if you want to know the answer. Or just tune in if you want to hear Karen and Nancy act like super scaredy cats.

Reviewed by: Kate, Age 13 from California

Rating:

The Mysterious Benedict Society Series is about four unusually talented kids who take up a mission to save the world from their mentor’s long-lost genius, Mr. Curtain. Over the course of the 3 books, they have to overcome tricky circumstances with Kate’s agility, Sticky’s genius, Reyine’s cleverness, and Constance’s mind power.
I am an avid reader, and have read Percy Jackson, Fablehavan, Children of the Lamp, Ranger’s Apprentice, Septimus Heap, Pellinor, The Ink Trilogy, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and millions of other book series. This series is by far my favorite one.

Also check out reviews for The Mysterious Benedict Society by Hahaha Me and Maddy!

A boy detective, a cat detective… and Karen as detective? In celebration of Mystery Month, we’ve assembled a line-up of brilliantly baffling books for our latest podcast. So the only mystery left here is: why haven’t you clicked “play” yet?

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Download the MP3 (11.7 MB)
• Our Mystery Book Theater mystery book!
• Our favorite mysteries (The Westing Game and Sam the Cat)
• Two of YOUR recommendations (Sammy Keyes and The Mysterious Benedict Society)
• Nancy makes a little rhyme

And when you’re done listening, don’t forget: our next theme is books with road trips! So watch our latest Mystery Book Theater video and check out these  road trip books to get you through your next long car ride.)

— Nancy and Karen

Reviewed by: Maddy, age 10

Rating:

Featured in "Get A Clue!”

The Mysterious Benedict Society is a great book about 4 whiz-kids who go on an amazing adventure together to save humanity. A must-read! There’s also a second book that continues the story— The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey.

Also check out reviews for The Mysterious Benedict Society by Hahaha Me and Kate!

Reviewed by: Helen, age 10, from California

Rating:

okay, have you read Nancy drew?well me too
and I have read this book series and it is also about a girl detective but I think
it is WAY better

Featured in "Get A Clue!”

its full of:cranky police officers,criminals,high tops,spunk,macaroni and salsa,and AWESOMENESS
S A M M Y K E Y E S!!!

This book trailer for the Encyclopedia Brown series was originally the Mystery Book Theater video for our Mysteries theme. For more on Encyclopedia Brown, check out our “Get a Clue” podcast.

In honor of our mystery theme, we set out to create an an EXTRA mysterious Mystery Book Theater for Donal J. Sobol’s Encyclopedia Brown series.

How could Mystery Book Theater possibly get even more mysterious? It’s a mystery! And how many times can we use some form of the word “mystery” in this post? Hmm, that’s a mysteriously mysterious mystery that will require some time to ponder… No, not really — the answer is 12 so far.

Getting bored of this? Well, what are you waiting for? Watch the mysterious video, already!

PS – Count now at 13. Could we possibly be more annoying? That’s no mystery — the answer is: YES! Just listen to the podcast!

PPS – Total count: 14.

Hey, gumshoe, listen up. We’ve got a real interesting case for ya, see. We were sitting at our desks, working on Kidsmomo when this blonde dame wandered into our office. She’d obviously been crying, and she was clutching an old photo in her hand. She sat down, gathered her thoughts, and then said —

Okay, she didn’t say anything, because this never really happened. We’re making it all up. I mean, come on, you think our lives are that exciting? If they were, we wouldn’t need to read these mystery books (in no particular order):

1. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (Karen’s pick)
2. Sam the Cat, Detective by Linda Stewart (Nancy’s pick)
3. Chasing Vermeer, The Wright 3, and The Calder Game by Blue Balliett
4. The Boxcar Children series by Gertrude Chandler Warner
5. Sammy Keyes series by Wendelin Van Draanen
6. Locked in Time by Lois Duncan
7. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
8. Goody Hall by Natalie Babbitt
9. Room One: a Mystery or Two by Andrew Clements
10. Mysterious Benedict Society books by Trenton Lee Stewart
11. Dollhouse Murders by Betty Ren Wright
12. Search for the Shadowman by Joan Lowery Nixon
13. Scat by Carl Hiaasen
14. Mr. Chickee’s Funny Money by Christopher Paul Curtis
15. The Man Who Was Poe by Avi

Also, if you’ve read any of these, send in your book review and we may read it our podcast. Or send in a review of your favorite mystery book!

UPDATE 10/19/09: We revealed the answer to our mystery edition of Mystery Book Theater in the “Get a Clue” Podcast, so take a listen. You’ll get the scoop on a mystery series we both loved as kids, plus get two additional book recommendations from kids like you!