Hello, Kids, and All Readers,
Alert readers may remember that in my May 31 newsletter, I shared that our four Botanic Hill detectives declared a summer moratorium on mysteries following their exhausting eighth case, Bougainvillea Street: Stolen Tiara, to recuperate and explore personal passions. They promised to share their experiences with us in late summer.
Well, here we are! I hope you enjoy the sleuths’ reports. And if they overlap with some of your own pursuits this past summer, all the better. Kids, please let me know!
Do any of their reports hint at a beckoning mystery???
Lanny’s Report
“I am so happy that I got the lead role of Sherlock Holmes, my hero, in our local Las Palmitas Junior Theater’s summer production of ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’! I beat out five other prospects. The director, Mr. Connors, told me it was my posturing–Holmes with one hand on his hip while looking up at the ceiling when he was pondering a dilemma, then raising an index finger on his other hand when a brilliant idea hit that made the director shout, ‘I have found my Holmes!’ Plus, there was my cool, practiced British accent. Lexi, Moki, Rani, and our families came to my opening and closing night performances. They gave me a gift–a famous Holmes’ possession–a look-alike Persian slipper that he filled with pipe tobacco. Mine was stuffed with mini Tootsie Rolls. Yay! The scariest part on stage was when I had to wrestle the large hound, a mastiff named Maxwell, owned by a cast member! But the dog was as friendly as a ginormous puppy while playing his ‘ferocious’ part! My role prompted me to do extra research about Holmes’s deductive reasoning techniques. They should come in handy for the Botanic Hill detectives’ work! Stay tuned . . . ”
Lexi’s Report
“I had a blast finally learning some of the fundamentals of playing the electric guitar! This was a dream come true since I love rock music almost as much as being a detective. I still have a long way to go. But because I was a fast learner, my teacher, Ms. Bloomquist, taught me some chords so I could at least stumble though one of my favorite David Bowie songs, ‘Heroes.’ Then, there were some riffs from Jim Morrison and The Doors’ songs, ‘Roadhouse Blues,’ and ‘Light My Fire.’ I’m going to continue my lessons so someday, I can play ‘I Can’t Get No Satisfaction,’ by the Rolling Stones, and ‘Smoke on the Water,’ by Deep Purple. Ms. Bloomquist said that last song has inspired many to learn how to play guitar. I believe her! Stay tuned . . . (ha, ha!)”
Moki’s Report
“This summer, I volunteered to teach little kids how to surf at Mango Beach. My four eight-year-old students (two boys and two girls) made me feel like a rock star because, somehow, they learned that by their age, I had won a few surfing championships in Hawai’i. (No, I didn’t tell them!) Being a teacher isn’t easy. You have to go back to the beginning of what and how you learned something to break it down into teachable pieces and in an order that makes sense. My students had varying degrees of experience. All went well until one day, they started screaming and ran from the water. There was a school of leopard sharks near our feet just off shore! It took ten minutes, but I managed to convince them that it was safe to go back into the water because leopard sharks are harmless to humans. I was so proud of how much my students learned that I took them to Moo Cow’s Dairy Town for ice cream cones on our last day to celebrate their successes. They want me to come back next summer. I’m in! Stay tuned . . .”
Rani’s Report
“My internship application was accepted! I spent six weeks at the Antiquities Research Collective (the ARC) in Cortez Park where Lanny and Lexi’s parents work alongside the director, Dr. Leland Abbott. During the teen summer program, I assisted in preparing for a special Grecian art exhibit that will open soon. We interns got to go behind the scenes, like in the basement storerooms and into employees’ offices, to help identify artifacts that might be displayed to enhance the program. About one week before our internships ended, the most amazing thing happened! An exact replica of the Niki of Samothrace statue, also known as Winged Victory, the original being housed at the Louvre in Paris, arrived in a large truck. When the doors opened, we were the first to see the eighteen-foot-tall, headless, armless statue with its gigantic wingspan! Soon after it was uncrated and moved to its outdoor location behind the ARC building, Dr. Abbott noticed something unusual. He wants help from the detective squad! Stay tuned . . . ”
But now, our heroes are recharged and ready to tackle Case #9, Lotus Street: Winged Whispers. It will launch in one year. Stay tuned . . .
Did you get a clue, dear Reader? What mystery is buzzing? Will our famous sleuths accept Dr. Abbott’s challenge? Find out in Book 9, coming in Fall 2027. But first, watch for Book 8, Bougainvillea Street: Stolen Tiara, finally available on September 22, 2026.
(Photo Credit: Left: Daria Ivanenko; Right: Alexander Popadin, both on pexels.com)
