The School Skeleton

May 1, 2003
Gr. 2-4. When the skeleton in the school nurse's office disappears, Dink and his friends, Josh and Ruth Rose, try to find the missing bones. At first their only clue is an adult's footprint. Does that mean that one of the teachers at Green Lawn Elementary School is the guilty one? Why does a key suddenly appear with a coded note? The latest in the Stepping Stone easy-to-read A to Z Mysteries series is set in a happy school where the principal, the janitor, the teachers, and the kids are drawn into solving the mystery together. The solution is a bit of a letdown, but Gurney's black-and-white illustrations extend the fun of sleuthing at school, and new readers will enjoy the cozy story, which has just a touch of the shivers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2003
When the school skeleton model vanishes from the nurse's office, sleuth friends Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose follow clues (a footprint, a key) to track it down. Although tamer than the usual A to Z fare (the culprit is the principal, having an April Fools' Day joke), the formulaic series will still appeal to fans. Benign black-and-white illustrations break up the short, quick chapters.

(Copyright 2003 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)