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Chickadee Court Mysteries #1
Who Is Stealing the 12 Days of Christmas?
Five geese a-laying? A pear tree with no partridge in it? Someone or something is running afoul on Chickadee Court. Every Christmas since Alex can remember, his family and neighbors have decorated their yards using "The Twelve Days of Christmas" as the theme. This year someone is stealing the decorations once by one.
200 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
18 people are currently reading
215 people want to read
About the author
Martha Freeman
53 books66 followersMartha Freeman was born in Southern California in 1956. It is not actually true that pterodactyls ruled the skies then, but her three children believe this.
Martha graduated from Glenoaks Elementary, Woodrow Wilson Junior High, and Glendale High School. Until Martha came along, Glendale High's most famous graduate was a fellow named Marion Michael Morrison. He later went into the film game and changed his name to John Wayne, which you might very well do, too, if you were a boy named Marion in unenlightened times. In 1978, Martha graduated from Stanford University with a degree in history. She remains Stanford's most illustrious graduate if not its most wealthy.
Stink Bomb Mom
Martha's First Book.
Martha worked as a newspaper reporter, copy editor, substitute teacher, college lecturer, advertising copywriter, and freelance magazine writer before she found her true calling as a writer of children's books in 1994. Her first book was "Stink Bomb Mom," now, tragically, out of print. She has since published 14 more books for children and as you read this, she is probably working on another one. Besides writing and visiting schools to talk to students, Martha teaches occasional classes at Penn State University, volunteers as an emergency medical technician, and works for a wonderful little company called Wall Street Communications. She is a very busy person.
Martha graduated from Glenoaks Elementary, Woodrow Wilson Junior High, and Glendale High School. Until Martha came along, Glendale High's most famous graduate was a fellow named Marion Michael Morrison. He later went into the film game and changed his name to John Wayne, which you might very well do, too, if you were a boy named Marion in unenlightened times. In 1978, Martha graduated from Stanford University with a degree in history. She remains Stanford's most illustrious graduate if not its most wealthy.
Stink Bomb Mom
Martha's First Book.
Martha worked as a newspaper reporter, copy editor, substitute teacher, college lecturer, advertising copywriter, and freelance magazine writer before she found her true calling as a writer of children's books in 1994. Her first book was "Stink Bomb Mom," now, tragically, out of print. She has since published 14 more books for children and as you read this, she is probably working on another one. Besides writing and visiting schools to talk to students, Martha teaches occasional classes at Penn State University, volunteers as an emergency medical technician, and works for a wonderful little company called Wall Street Communications. She is a very busy person.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
November 6, 2021
I enjoyed this mystery, about the mysterious disappearances--and reappearances--of various holiday decorations on Chickadee Court. The enclosed map was very helpful!
June 3, 2016
This book is about a girl and a boy who live in a town that many tourist visit for a street 12 days of Christmas decorations( that light up and look magical and play the song.) Then the decorations are stolen! And just the birds! Also burglary at a toy store filled with collecters’ items and fad mice! (mice that are warriors.) Will these detecting kids, with a more clever than thought cat, solve the case?
One of the things I like about this book is the cat! She really is a smart feline! (Now, I am a dog person but I still like cats!)
What I learned from this book is a person who is different and doesn’t make them bad at all!
One of the things I like about this book is the cat! She really is a smart feline! (Now, I am a dog person but I still like cats!)
What I learned from this book is a person who is different and doesn’t make them bad at all!
December 24, 2018
The mystery was very mysterious. I had no idea what was actually going on until right near the end. Even then I was a bit confused. My favourite part was when the mystery was finally solved, and it wasn't any of their new friends. My least favourite part was when Bub got hit by a truck and Yasmeen almost got hit by the truck, because the driver had lost her glasses and couldn't see until right at the last second. luckily, they all survived.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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December 3, 2010Started off chatty, with too much back story, but got better.
Characters and storyline were pretty good.
Characters and storyline were pretty good.
October 25, 2017
Personal Response
In my opinion, Who Is Stealing the 12 Days of Christmas was a pretty good book. It may not be my favorite book, but it was still pretty good. I enjoyed how Alex called his cat a tiger because I call my cat a black panther. I also liked how Alex and Yasmeen were trying to be detectives because I might be a detective when I grow up. The one thing that I did not enjoy about this book is that there was a lot of characters, so it was hard to remember who is who. Overall, Who Is Stealing the 12 Days of Christmas was a great book.
Plot Summary
Everyone on Alex's street decorates their house for Christmas by using "The Twelve Days of Christmas" song. Alex wakes up one morning and realizes that one of the geese from the Lee house was missing. Alex and his family thought that the goose had been blown away by the wind. Then, the partridge from the Ryan house went missing. Next, a calling bird from the Stone house and French hen from the Swanson house were gone. Alex realizes that somebody is stealing the Christmas decorations, so he tells his mom, who is a detective. Alex's mom says that it is just a prank that a kid is pulling, but Alex doesn't think that is true. Alex and his best friend, Yasmeen, decide that they are going to solve the mystery themselves. Then, the decorations start returning to their places. Why would the thief put the decorations back? Alex finds a price tag from a Mouse by one of the decorations, which was their first clue. Next, the Mega-Menagerie gets robbed and all of the Mice in the store are gone. One night, Alex's cat, Luau, wakes Alex up and Alex sees a dark figure outside. He goes outside and starts chasing the person, but the person escapes. Alex finds a whole bunch of Mice in a bucket, but he wanted to keep them for himself. Alex and Yasmeen realize that the person who is stealing the decorations, has to be the person that robbed the Mega-Menagerie. A couple of days later, the whole street is woken up by loud Christmas music and flashing Christmas lights. Everybody runs outside and they see Michael Jensen's grandparents' van and Michael Jensen running to get in it. Yasmeen starts chasing the van as it starts to drive away. The van was headed straight towards Yasmeen, but just in time Bub runs out and pushes Yasmeen out of the way. Yasmeen is fine, but Bub had to go to the hospital because he was hit by the van. Michael was the person that had been stealing the Christmas decorations and his grandparents were the people that robbed the Mega-Menagerie. Inside of the van was all of the Mice that they had stolen. Who Is Stealing the 12 Days of Christmas ends with everybody having dinner at Bub's house.
Recommendation
I would recommend Who Is Stealing the 12 Days of Christmas to fourth and fifth graders. I would say that this book was a little bit easy for me to read. I think this book would be at the perfect level for fourth and fifth graders. I would also recommend Who Is Stealing the 12 Days of Christmas to people that love Christmas because it is all about Christmas. This book is perfect for fourth and fifth graders that love Christmas.
In my opinion, Who Is Stealing the 12 Days of Christmas was a pretty good book. It may not be my favorite book, but it was still pretty good. I enjoyed how Alex called his cat a tiger because I call my cat a black panther. I also liked how Alex and Yasmeen were trying to be detectives because I might be a detective when I grow up. The one thing that I did not enjoy about this book is that there was a lot of characters, so it was hard to remember who is who. Overall, Who Is Stealing the 12 Days of Christmas was a great book.
Plot Summary
Everyone on Alex's street decorates their house for Christmas by using "The Twelve Days of Christmas" song. Alex wakes up one morning and realizes that one of the geese from the Lee house was missing. Alex and his family thought that the goose had been blown away by the wind. Then, the partridge from the Ryan house went missing. Next, a calling bird from the Stone house and French hen from the Swanson house were gone. Alex realizes that somebody is stealing the Christmas decorations, so he tells his mom, who is a detective. Alex's mom says that it is just a prank that a kid is pulling, but Alex doesn't think that is true. Alex and his best friend, Yasmeen, decide that they are going to solve the mystery themselves. Then, the decorations start returning to their places. Why would the thief put the decorations back? Alex finds a price tag from a Mouse by one of the decorations, which was their first clue. Next, the Mega-Menagerie gets robbed and all of the Mice in the store are gone. One night, Alex's cat, Luau, wakes Alex up and Alex sees a dark figure outside. He goes outside and starts chasing the person, but the person escapes. Alex finds a whole bunch of Mice in a bucket, but he wanted to keep them for himself. Alex and Yasmeen realize that the person who is stealing the decorations, has to be the person that robbed the Mega-Menagerie. A couple of days later, the whole street is woken up by loud Christmas music and flashing Christmas lights. Everybody runs outside and they see Michael Jensen's grandparents' van and Michael Jensen running to get in it. Yasmeen starts chasing the van as it starts to drive away. The van was headed straight towards Yasmeen, but just in time Bub runs out and pushes Yasmeen out of the way. Yasmeen is fine, but Bub had to go to the hospital because he was hit by the van. Michael was the person that had been stealing the Christmas decorations and his grandparents were the people that robbed the Mega-Menagerie. Inside of the van was all of the Mice that they had stolen. Who Is Stealing the 12 Days of Christmas ends with everybody having dinner at Bub's house.
Recommendation
I would recommend Who Is Stealing the 12 Days of Christmas to fourth and fifth graders. I would say that this book was a little bit easy for me to read. I think this book would be at the perfect level for fourth and fifth graders. I would also recommend Who Is Stealing the 12 Days of Christmas to people that love Christmas because it is all about Christmas. This book is perfect for fourth and fifth graders that love Christmas.
November 23, 2013
Ehh... it was an okay mystery that will appeal to kids during the Christmas season.
For some reason I didn't like the best friend character. I thought the author tried too hard to make her seem minority-ish and to bash traditional sex roles. Instead, the women seemed to be slightly man-hater-ish. Maybe I'm being to sensitive.
For some reason I didn't like the best friend character. I thought the author tried too hard to make her seem minority-ish and to bash traditional sex roles. Instead, the women seemed to be slightly man-hater-ish. Maybe I'm being to sensitive.
September 29, 2009
This book was very interesting because it involved kids who wanted to solve the mistary.It had alot of suspects,and you want to know who it is so you want to read more.Also it had a little romance,well a crush(i love romance books).Also it had some good description,i could imagine the sean in my head.It was not one of my best books but it was good.
October 22, 2007
This book is a very cute Christmas mystery. It's not one of my favorite books, but it is still pretty good. If you're looking for a deep, thoughtful book, I wouldn't recomend this one, but it certainly makes for good lighter reading.
November 1, 2008
A neighborhood known for its holiday displays themed around the popular Christmas carol is bothered by stolen and vandalized yard decor. Two children start out to solve the mystery uncovering more than just holiday pranksters...
November 30, 2009
The first book in the Chickadee Court Mystery series. I love these books.
When parts of outdoor Christmas displays go missing from neighborhood yards, nine-year-old Alex and his friend Yasmeen investigate.
This is a great mystery series for younger kids.
When parts of outdoor Christmas displays go missing from neighborhood yards, nine-year-old Alex and his friend Yasmeen investigate.
This is a great mystery series for younger kids.
January 3, 2010
My daughter just finished reading this book and insisted that I read it. What a fun, little book - totally understand why my 10 yr old liked it - a little mystery to solve, good characters (kids are in the forefront; adults in the background), kept you guessing until the very end.
September 15, 2015
I had to keep checking the publication date on this book because it felt SO much older than it was. Having said that, this was not a bad story, and I could see middle elementary school readers enjoying it.
December 5, 2017
A cute story. As an adult, I appreciated some of the more subtle aspects of it, but it is a nice Christmas mystery for kids with a heartwarming tale woven into it. I especially appreciated character questions that seek to educate the reader.
April 30, 2008
This was a fun Christmas book.
December 14, 2007
Cute christmas book! Very fuzzy and interesting! I liked it alot! ending was very unpredictable!
Want to read
December 4, 2008I want ot read this book!!!!!
Want to read
December 20, 2008i want to read this soooooo badly as i said b4 i love xmas books!!!!!
February 3, 2009
My kids like this book. We read it for their bed time story, we took a little over a week to read it to them.
March 5, 2009
the mice guys rock but the treasure hunt... rocks even more
December 19, 2009
This was a nice and easy read. Very funny and a good little mystery! My students enjoyed listening as I read aloud to them and they laughed quite a bit.
December 29, 2009
It was a cute story. It'd be good as a read-aloud.
January 5, 2010
so far its kinda boring then it gets funny.. but anyways this book it is about christmas and whats goin on around the state.... just read the book and find out!
February 23, 2011
Good book. Love the series.
March 31, 2011
I love this book! It got me into the Christmas spirit!
October 23, 2017
i started reading this with my kids and half way through and wasn't really into it so I had Conner read the rest of it by himself. He liked it.
October 19, 2019
One of my favorites from childhood.
November 21, 2019
Super cute kids mystery... I really enjoyed the whole thing.
December 11, 2020
Great elementary book for kids in grades 3-5.
December 30, 2020
This was a really cute little book! It was fun trying to figure out the mystery as an adult, so I can o ly imagine trying to figure it out as an 8-9 year old.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews