The Buried Bones Mystery

Clubhouse Mysteries #1

by Sharon M. Draper, Sharon M. Draper

Four boys who call themselves the Black Dinosaurs dig up a mysterious box of bones in this first book of the classic chapter book series by award-winning author Sharon M. Draper.

Ziggy and his friends Rico, Rashawn, and Jerome build a clubhouse in Ziggy’s backyard and decide to bury their secret treasures nearby. But when the boys start digging, they uncover a box of bones and are swept up in a mystery more intriguing—and scary—than anything they could have imagined. Who could have buried a box of bones behind their clubhouse?

Genres: Mystery, Childrens, Middle Grade, Adventure, Juvenile, Fiction, Friendship

112 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1994

About the author

Sharon M. Draper is a professional educator as well as an accomplished writer. She has been honored as the National Teacher of the Year, is a five-time winner of the Coretta Scott King Literary Award, and is a New York Times bestselling author. She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Reviews

[Jack Marryatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, loved Ziggy 10/10!

[Melissa Carpenter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know why I hadn't heard of this series before, but I'm so glad I got them for our school library. There's a delicate balance of engaging storytelling with relatable characters and important black history woven into the Clubhouse Mysteries. Perfect for boys (and girls, but boys especially) from 3rd-6th grades.

[S]

I bothered to explain Chekov's gun to a six-year-old. Oh well. Still, a good and nice mystery that includes a dog so it's basically Scooby-Doo which is all that same six-year-old wants out of his media anyway.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Juvenile fiction, adventure, realistic fiction
Format: Print
Plot: The local basketball court has had the goal hoops cut down. Ziggy and his friends must find a way to solve the mystery, but along the way they find a box of human bones that seems to point to a larger story. Draper effortlessly weaves the issues of urban youth and the racism they face into the story.
Readers advisory: Human remains
Review citation: SLJ 1994
Source: Best books for children
Recommended age: 7-9

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 I am sorry I haven’t known about this series before now. Sharon Draper’s early chapter book mystery series blends mystery, with African-American history and boy friendship. I think there is a market for this series and I can’t wait to get more into my library. My only hesitation is the use of Jamaican slang. I just wonder if young readers will be familiar with some of the terms.

[Brittany · Rating 2 out of 5]

While a fun story, I am concerned by the negative and stereotypical depiction of Ziggy: a Jamaican American who says "Mon" practically every sentence, wears a Rastafarian hat and dreadlocks, has a large family and poorly kept home, and is shown as forgetful and unintelligent.

[Trinity Smith]

Horrible

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

As part of a winter reading challenge my kids and I are participating in, we were encouraged to read a book written by Sharon M. Draper. We already have a favorite that we own, "Out of My Mind," and we will re-read it, but we also wanted to read something of hers we had never read. This was a great place to start, since it's book number one in the series. My son thought the kids "talked funny," and the story wasn't his favorite because of the bones. My daughter said she liked it and had read another mystery in this series, so she knew the characters already and liked how it all played out. I explained and tried (probably horribly) to read some of the dialogue with a Jamaican accent, to help my son appreciate it more, and I read it in one quick session before we needed to return it. It IS a great start to what are probably a lot of fun and funny, entertaining and informative books for younger kids. Surely this is even based on truth, right? I get why my son was a bit spooked by it, because if you really think about the history and the reality of it, it's pretty deep, and I'm not being punny there. It does make you appreciate your freedom and your kids' freedom, and the good ol days of creating a club with your friends and being on a mission and having a campout together on a summer night. And she's right...of course there will be thunder and rain! Of course!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. This was great! I read this aloud to my 6-year-old and we both enjoyed it. It involved one of my favorite tropes in kids' books (kids creating a special physical space just for themselves), it included a mystery whose solution wasn't immediately obvious, and the interactions between the characters were great. (My son and I both laughed every time Ziggy couldn't remember the clubhouse password.) The mystery wasn't exactly Sherlock Holmes-worthy — they never really developed a theory, it was just "All signs point to Mr. Greene... for something!" — but I thought the resolution was satisfying. There was some discussion of slavery, which my son wasn't unfamiliar with, but it gave him an opportunity to ask questions to try to understand this part of our country's history better. I was kind of surprised to see this was published in 1994; unlike other children's books from prior decades, I didn't have to verbally edit anything in here and I would have guessed it was more recent (though I see it was reissued in 2011). We're excited to continue with the series!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was pretty quick for a mystery, but does a nice job setting up the suspense while it lasts.

My favorite part was the bits of black history, and the fact that all four of the boys are black. If you’re white, it’s easy not to notice that many of the classic mystery series are all white kids, or perhaps just a sidekick who isn’t white. But in this book, the main characters, the heroes, are all black, and they’re fun and relatable kids too.

Definitely recommend this series and our 7yo can’t wait to hear the next one!

[Dietrich West-Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book for 4-5 graders. Nice mystery good characters showing Black families and young Black boys in a very positive manner. Nice plot. I wonder how much publicity this book got when it came out because I do not remember it at all. This series came out in the late 1990's and 2000's there are about six books in the series. Good chapter book for new and beginning readers. It is a good book for a elementary teacher to read to the class.
I liked the informative information at the back of the book. I will be reading the rest of the series.

[Rachel Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ziggy and his friends start a club called the black dinosaurs. When something strange begins happening in their neighborhood they decide to check it out. They find bones and notes about bones near their clubhouse, and someone has to figure out what is going on here. A book for young kids by Sharon Draper that is fun and helps with reading development.

[Ellon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet, quick read about four Black boys uncovering a mystery. I love that this book shows Black Joy and Black kids just being kids. The mystery is simple but fun and there is even a bit of Black History mixed in. Kids that like the A-Z mysteries or Cam Jansen will enjoy this book. I can’t wait to read more of the series.

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four neighborhood boys build a clubhouse and solve a mystery. Fun interactions, although Ziggy (the one whose family is Jamaican) may be over the top dialect-wise, mon. Nice variety of kids and families--one's dad is a cop, some parents stricter than others, etc.

Good, light spookiness, and tie to prejudicial treatment of a cemetery resonates.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was great. I really enjoyed the neighborhood setting and reading about the boys building their clubhouse and starting their club, complete with treasures.
I really like Sharon Draper. This book proves even further how great of a writer she is.

[Angelika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good choice for the 5-8 crowd, I think. Four friends find their basket ball court destroyed they form a club and solve the mystery. Well wrapped up story with some historic background, and an all-black, all-boy cast.

[Bowie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored these books when I was little! They genuinely got me into reading like no others had! I fell in love with these when I was younger, I would highly recommend these for any kid. I love all of these books.

[LaQuita Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect read aloud for a class full of boys. I intended this book to be mainly for my rising 6th graders in my class. But as a sped teacher I’ve got 4th graders too- THEY LOVED IT! So did I. On to book #2!

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect mystery with realistic characters and a bit of black history too. Set in Ohio, four friends build a clubhouse and bury treasure only to discover a developer’s old crime over an old graveyard.

[Angela]

I recommend this series to classic mystery readers, like The Hardy Boys or The Boxcar Children. The books are on the small side with large print and images that would appeal to reluctant readers as well. This first book takes place the summer before sixth grade.

[Angie Titus · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a surprise for me! In a good way. What I expected was a fun mystery starring a bunch of ten year olds, which is what I got. I also got so much more. The ending of this book hit me right in the feels.

[Cindy (leavemetomybooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four friends build a clubhouse & find a box of bones buried in the yard. Loved this.

[Courtney Rae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Level O?
Meant for boys, no girl representation. Cute story but there is no main character to focus on and the kids are not necessarily all relatable.

[Jan]

Also a series

[Mikhaela · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 5 year old LOVES this series - we read a chapter each night before bed.

[aem · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four friends build a clubhouse and find a box of bones in the backyard.

[Marita Ankobiah · Rating 4 out of 5]

We read this for a youth book club. It is a really fun read about friendship, neighborhood, and social issues. We look forward to reading more of this series.

[Khanh · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. Fun and engaging. I love short books like this for days when I still can read but don't have the time or the mental focus to take on anything heavy.. Ziggy is hilarious.

[Kathryn Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fun read aloud with the boys. We couldn't find these at our library so we purchased the series- so glad we did.

[GS Dachslove · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very few illustrations. All boy main characters. Lots of text.