Case Closed #1: Mystery in the Mansion

Recomendable

I grew up reading similar books and I'm happy to share more up-to-date versions with my class. They're enjoying it so far and find the chance to choose their own adventure intriguing.

Carlos' mother is a detective, but her agency is struggling to stay afloat. To make matter worse, she is sick with the flu and can't begin the investigation for her latest case which is identifying the person sending death threats to Guinevere LeCavilier, a wealthy older woman. Carlo's mom asks him to call her partner Cole, but Carlos decides to take matters into his own hands and recruits his best friend Eliza to join him. Accompanying them is Frank, Eliza’s annoying and obnoxious six year old brother. Will Carlos, Eliza, and Frank be successful in cracking the case? Well, that all depends on the reader who must help them make choices and solve puzzles to find the perpetrator. Growing up, I devoured the Choose Your Own Adventure series because I loved having a role in the outcome of the story. Mystery in the Mansion, the first book in Lauren Magaziner's new Case Closed series transported me back to my childhood and I must share that I love her format even better! Why? When readers come to a part of the story when they must make a choice, there may be two, three or even four options from which to choose. In addition, readers may be required to solve a puzzle to identify the next page that will move the plot along. And while some puzzles are simple, others prompt readers to get out pencil and paper, brush up on their math or even call in for help (Confession: I had to seek my husband’s support a few times). After finally solving the case (Yes-it took me a few tries), I went back to the beginning of the story to start over. I became quite addictive to discovering if there were multiple good endings but even a wrong turn was fun because of Lauren Magaziner’s creative and humorous plot. Not only am I excited to share this original new series with students, I believe it would be a great class read aloud and in a recent tweet, Lauren Magaziner provides some read aloud tips for teachers. And the best part of all-Case Closed is a series! Looking forward to more adventures with Carlos, Eliza, and of course, Frank’s hilarious antics!

Case Closed #1 Mystery in the Mansion is the first in a series of choose your own adventure mystery books where the reader picks his/hers own path to crack the case. Carlos Serrano has no idea how to solve a mystery, so with the help of his friend Eliza & her little brother they set out to solve a case for his mother’s detective agency as she is unwell and her partner is busy with his own case. The agency is failing, money is short and solving this case is the last resort to preserve the family’s belongings. They head off to the mansion of an eccentric local millionaire who has been receiving death threats. There are many suspects and also the talk of a treasure. The reader is challenged to ask the questions and uncover the answers as there are many choices and different endings. This reading format of choosing your own adventure is a fun twist, offering the reader different options, like whom to interview, what to examine & which clues to follow. An engaging, entertaining & humorous mystery, which is hard to put down. 5⭐️ Read for all ages.

Great start for my kids, hope it will be an interesting way for them to learn how to make decisions and understand different decisions will have different meaning and endings.