Wrapped in a Riddle

by Sharon E. Heisel

Ever since Miranda's arrival, unsettling things have been going on at the Jumping Frog, the bed-and-breakfast owned by Miranda's grandmother. The housekeeper, who has been knocked in the head, insists on denying the event. Someone has been sneaking into the fruit shed and has dropped an unusual key there. Most ominous, the authentic love letters written by Mark Twain to Miranda's great-great-grandmother are missing—or stolen!
How do the various pieces fit together? Are the inn's odd assortment of boarders involved? Miranda's grandmother is just too trusting; it seems to be up to Miranda to solve this particular mystery. And who should she involve in the intrigue but Jessica, Tiffaney, and Georgette, the young sleuths from A Little Magic. Surely if there's an answer to the Jumping Frog riddle, Miranda and her new friends will find it.

140 pages, Hardcover

First published October 25, 1993

About the author

Heisel was born and raised in Minnesota. After receiving a master's degree in invertebrate zoology from Portland State University, she taught seventh and eighth grade for 8 years, then went on to work as a weight-management counselor.

Reviews

[Josiah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wrapped in a Riddle is a sort-of sequel to A Little Magic, Sharon E. Heisel's 1991 debut. Set in Ashville, the same rural mountain town of southern Oregon, the story includes appearances by the main group of kids from A Little Magic, just a few months later. Miranda B. Caldwell hasn't lived in town for long. Her parents, both important algae biologists, often leave her to go on research trips in other countries, and this time Miranda is staying with her grandmother, GrandAnn, at the bed-and-breakfast she owns and operates. The Jumping Frog does decent business for a small inn; it's name is an homage to Mark Twain, and each room is named for a Twain character or story. Family lore says GrandAnn's grandmother met the author in the 1800s, and they stayed in contact after he rose to fame. Twain wrote her occasional letters describing his travels and posing humorous riddles, a hobby she passed down through GrandAnn and all the way to Miranda, who enjoys wordplay as much as anyone. Little does Miranda know that Twain's letters to GrandAnn's grandmother are hidden within The Jumping Frog inn.

A mystery starts when Mrs. Prescott, part-time housekeeper for The Jumping Frog, has a violent encounter on the inn's second floor. After regaining consciousness she can't remember anyone attacking her, but Miranda feels sure the ceramic bust of Mark Twain was on too low a shelf to fall off on its own and hit Mrs. Prescott on the head. But who would purposely harm her? Miranda is convinced of foul play when a framed picture of Mark Twain falls from the wall of her own attic bedroom; it turns out that's where GrandAnn kept the letters from Twain to her grandmother, and now they're gone. Not only are the letters cherished heirlooms, they're worth a lot of money as collectibles. The police investigate, but Miranda has a hunch she might stand a better chance of recovering GrandAnn's stolen property. The thief is likely one of The Jumping Frog's boarders, and Miranda knows them better than the police do.

"We owe people the benefit of a doubt. You don't have to like everyone, but you should try to believe that each person does his or her best in life. It isn't up to you to judge."

—GrandAnn, Wrapped in a Riddle, P. 93

Aloysius Pitt is a gruff old man, but keeps to himself, playing the violin in his room. Susan, a college student, isn't friendly to Miranda or GrandAnn's cat, Orenthal; she's also a big fan of Twain, but is this enough to vault her to the top of the suspect list? Nick, another student, has a warmer demeanor, but his past criminal record gives Miranda cause to think twice about him. Julie, the third student staying at the inn, is a cheerful person, and Miranda has little reason to suspect her until she finds the Twain letters while cleaning her room one day. Julie seems as surprised as Miranda, insisting she knew nothing about the letters, and GrandAnn believes her. Every boarder now has some reason for suspicion, and more clues surface each day. Mr. Pitt is seen skulking around GrandAnn's root cellar, Mrs. Prescott's memory gaps are awfully convenient, and Susan abruptly leaves The Jumping Frog just before GrandAnn receives word that the Twain letters found in Julie's room are forgeries. Miranda is new in Ashville, but a group of kids from school—Jess Overstreet, Tiff Collins, Georgette Jones, Tim Glisson, Josh Miller, and even Jess's redheaded little cousin, Corky—volunteer to help untangle the mystery. After all, Jess solved a case of her own recently. Their assistance proves invaluable—especially Georgette, whom Miranda is quickly becoming close friends with—but it's up to Miranda to ferret out the criminal who assaulted Mrs. Prescott and stole GrandAnn's treasured correspondence from Mark Twain. Can Miranda catch the culprit without losing her life in the process?

For kids who liked A Little Magic, Wrapped in a Riddle is a welcome followup. It's a mixture of traditional sleuthing and the realistic story of Miranda's adjustment to living in a new place and trying to make friends. Her parents have promised to stop globetrotting after their current mission, and Miranda hopes it's true; she yearns for a place to call home and a permanent set of friends, and Georgette would be a good start if they settled in Ashville. The cover illustration by Pat Grant Porter is another element in common between this book and A Little Magic; Ms. Porter has an agreeable style, homey and old-fashioned. If you enjoy simple, unambitious juvenile mysteries, Wrapped in a Riddle will be your kind of story. I hope you have as much fun reading Sharon E. Heisel as I have.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been years since I've read this book, but I remember parts of it so well, that I have to list it as a favorite. I'll definitely share it with my kids!

[Spencer Lafrenz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wrapped in a riddle
By Sharon E. Heisel

The story starts as a grandmother left to go somewhere. She left a letter to her granddaughter that was sitting on the table with a big bowl of bright red apples and a pencil along with the letter. When she got home to her grandma’s house she read the note as she was saying it in her voice. The granddaughter’s name is Miranda. Grandmother is as tall as a doll-like, tiny ,and delicate and always is cheerful. Her eyes it said of her characteristics are a lively shade of blue and , a color like the glass eyes of a porcelain doll.

[Michelle Newbill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good book! Mystery held on til the end, you did not know who it was! Very well written!