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The Latchkey Mystery
Eleven-year-old Minda, one of several latchkey children in her neighborhood, forms a group to watch for a burglar who is breaking into empty houses.
128 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 1985
3 people want to read
About the author
Margaret Goff Clark
34 books12 followersMargaret Goff Clark was born March 7, 1913, in Oklahoma City, USA. At five, she and her family moved to Olean, New York. She attended Columbia University and State University in Buffalo, earning a bachelor’s degree in education. She began writing when her children were young and published her first book, The Mystery Of Seneca Hill in 1961. As a result, Ms. Clark was adopted into the Seneca Indian tribe in 1962.
Many of her books are based on her experiences traveling to parks and nature areas by camping trailer. The Clarks had a cottage in Algonquin Park in Ontario, Canada, and Death At Their Heels was written in 1975, after visiting it one summer. Most recently, Ms. Clark wrote books about endangered species in Florida, including the manatee and the Florida black bear. Her 1993 book on the endangered Florida panther was dedicated to her husband Charles R. Clark. In addition to books, Ms. Clark contributed over 200 short stories to magazines such as American Girl, The Instructor, Teen Talk and other Canadian and American magazines. Margaret Goff Clark passed away in 2003.
Many of her books are based on her experiences traveling to parks and nature areas by camping trailer. The Clarks had a cottage in Algonquin Park in Ontario, Canada, and Death At Their Heels was written in 1975, after visiting it one summer. Most recently, Ms. Clark wrote books about endangered species in Florida, including the manatee and the Florida black bear. Her 1993 book on the endangered Florida panther was dedicated to her husband Charles R. Clark. In addition to books, Ms. Clark contributed over 200 short stories to magazines such as American Girl, The Instructor, Teen Talk and other Canadian and American magazines. Margaret Goff Clark passed away in 2003.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
February 9, 2018
Minda and Joey used to live in Buffalo, New York. After their father died, their mother inherited her parents's house in Florida and they go there to live. Although it seems to be a nice neighborhood there are no after school programs and there are half a dozen children who are "latchkey kids" and are home alone after school until their parents get home from work.
After a burglar robs one of the homes in the neighborhood when the owners aren't home, Minda suggests that the latchkey kids start a Neighborhood Watch like the one back in Buffalo. First the kids make a plan to find out who the burglar is. They take notes when they see strangers in the neighborhood or anyone hanging around or acting suspiciously. Soon they have a list of suspects including Mrs. Hoover's gardener, a man who collects junk, a lady selling door-to-door, a man carrying a large plastic bag, and a jogger.
I gave the book 3 stars because it seems like it would have been a good mystery for children in 1985 when it was written. It is still not a bad story, but sometimes it reads like historical fiction.
The first thing I noticed was on page 24. The grocery store has a phone booth out front. There is a store near my house with a phone out front but it is the exception now days. On page 41, Adam can't use the phone on the front porch because the phone cord isn't long enough. No one has a cordless phone or a cell phone. On page 59, the children need to write down the phone number to call the police because there is no easy-to-remember 911. The children tell all their friends and relatives not to call on Tuesday afternoon, a work-around because they have no answering machines or voice mail. One day Minda doesn't know where her mother is so she can't call her on the phone. Without knowing where she is or the landline number there, there is no way to get in touch with her. Needless to say, no one in the book has a computer yet. I had a computer in 1985 and Internet access, but communication was difficult and there weren't very many people to communicate with.
Recommended as a book for younger kids to find in the rainy day stash at grandma's house. Could be used to stimulate a discussion about the "good old days."
After a burglar robs one of the homes in the neighborhood when the owners aren't home, Minda suggests that the latchkey kids start a Neighborhood Watch like the one back in Buffalo. First the kids make a plan to find out who the burglar is. They take notes when they see strangers in the neighborhood or anyone hanging around or acting suspiciously. Soon they have a list of suspects including Mrs. Hoover's gardener, a man who collects junk, a lady selling door-to-door, a man carrying a large plastic bag, and a jogger.
I gave the book 3 stars because it seems like it would have been a good mystery for children in 1985 when it was written. It is still not a bad story, but sometimes it reads like historical fiction.
The first thing I noticed was on page 24. The grocery store has a phone booth out front. There is a store near my house with a phone out front but it is the exception now days. On page 41, Adam can't use the phone on the front porch because the phone cord isn't long enough. No one has a cordless phone or a cell phone. On page 59, the children need to write down the phone number to call the police because there is no easy-to-remember 911. The children tell all their friends and relatives not to call on Tuesday afternoon, a work-around because they have no answering machines or voice mail. One day Minda doesn't know where her mother is so she can't call her on the phone. Without knowing where she is or the landline number there, there is no way to get in touch with her. Needless to say, no one in the book has a computer yet. I had a computer in 1985 and Internet access, but communication was difficult and there weren't very many people to communicate with.
Recommended as a book for younger kids to find in the rainy day stash at grandma's house. Could be used to stimulate a discussion about the "good old days."
Displaying 1 of 1 review