We all love a good mystery. We want to know what really happened to the Franklin expedition. Did anyone survive? What happened to Anastasia, the lost princess of Russia? Where did Amelia Earhart crash? Or did she? Was there really a lost city of Ubar in the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula? We want to finally lay those mysteries to rest. The passage of time and many newly developed scientific methods, such as, CAT scans, DNA testing, and Shuttle Imaging Radar-B (SIR-B), help us to do just that.
Susan Hughes is an accomplished, versatile writer. She has published picture books, chapter books, many wonderful non-fiction titles and a YA novel, VIRGINIA. In CASE CLOSED? Hughes brings her elegant, energetic style and her tireless research skills, to the mysteries mentioned above and a few more besides. The book is beautiful in its presentation. I like the magazine trim-size and the illustrations are charming. Michael Wandelmaier has given them an old-time quality which is perfect for the subject matter. I also like the book’s organization. Each ‘mystery’ begins with background pages setting the stage, a ‘”Case Open”‘ section, and the final query, ‘Mystery Solved?’
