Aventuras de la Mano Negra

by Hans Jürgen Press

Un grupo de amigos se reúne a la salida del colegio para llevar a cabo investigaciones detectivescas. Cuatro historias que invitan al lector a participar en el juego de pistas que, a través del entramado del texto y las ilustraciones, se le van presentando.

Genres: Mystery, Childrens, Fiction, Germany, German Literature, Ebooks, Short Stories

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

German illustrator, comics author and writer of children books.

Reviews

[Emma Sea · Rating 5 out of 5]

God, I loved this SO MUCH. The book comprises four stand-alone mystery stories. The reader has to locate the clues hidden in the charming illustrations ¹ to solve each step of the investigation. I think I was entranced less by the mysteries and more by the four kids roaming around a busy town by themselves all day.


¹ Although I guess you could just turn the page and find out what you were supposed to have seen? 8-year old me would never have done that.

[Mariacullentw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ha sido muy bonito releer este libro después de tantos años. Tengo madera de campeón de detective y ya me puedo comparar con Sherlock Holmes xD

[ferr (taylor's version) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hace mucho que no leía fragmentos de este libro. Lo he leído y releído miles veces desde que lo descubrí. Y si puedo decir que hay un libro que ha marcado mi vida lectora, este libro es sobresaliente en mi historia como lectora. Mi infancia y pre-adolescencia fue de mano de este libro y le tengo un gran cariño.

Hoy lo vi y decidí leer aunque sea el primer caso de estos chicos que se ganaron mi corazón, y sentí que retrocedía al pasado conforme leía más. A pesar de que prácticamente ya me sabía casi todo el libro, lo disfrute inmensamente y no pude evitar leer el libro por completo.

Este libro nos cuenta las aventuras de la Pandilla La Mano Negra, la cual la integran cuatro adolescentes que investigan varios casos misteriosos. Este libro es interactivo, ya que permite al lector mejorar las capacidades deductivas y la observación mediante imágenes que son de ayuda para conocer las pistas que esperan a la página siguiente.

Les recomiendo leer mucho este libro, y más si les gusta leer libros Middle Grade o tiene pequeñines en casa y quieren estimular esas capacidades y pasar un buen rato.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally published in Germany in the late 60s ((which would explain why the town looked peculiar to the 9 year old me), this follows the gang - Frank, Ralph, Angela and Keith W.S. (With Squirrel) - as they investigate four mysteries (“The Mysterious House”, “The Treasure In Breezy Lake”, “The Smuggler’s Tunnel” and “A Theft At The Zoo”). With a relatively smooth translation, each page of text is accompanied by a superbly detailed drawing that contains a clue for the reader, which the gang has already found.
I got this from the Rothwell Juniors Bookworm club, in 1978, without really knowing what it was but I fell in love with it immediately. Going back to it as an adult was a wonderfully nostalgic experience and the drawings are as clear and detailed and busy as I remember them - a real joy to look at. A superb book.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite books as a kid, and I recall checking it out of my elementary school's library over and over again. I'd forgotten the title for years but was elated when AbeBooks' Booksleuth helped me figure it out. It's a bit hard to find a good copy sometimes, but if you have a kiddo that likes mysteries then they will love this book. There are four different stories with several scenes that follow four kids and a pet squirrel as they solve mysteries around their town. Each scene is presented with the story on the left and a drawing on the right. There is a question at the end of each story and you can search the picture to find the answer. The way that Hans Jurgen Press seamless blends the two is just a delight. I've had every bit of fun re-reading this as an adult!

[Alex Pler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este libro era uno de mis favoritos de pequeño. Me perdía durante horas en sus ilustraciones en busca de pistas. Ha sido divertido revisitarlo con ojos de adulto, aunque ahora los retos ya no sean tales (bien porque recordaba la solución, bien porque al ser menos ingenuos, vamos más al grano). Si tuviera un sobrino se lo regalaría con el deseo de que lo disfrutase tanto como yo a su edad.

[Jenniii.03 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me parece un libro muy entretenido y te enganchas rapidamente

[Олександр Васильєв · Rating 5 out of 5]

Дуже цікава книга. В її основі лежить концепція глибокого взаємозвʼязку сюжету та малюнку.
Команда «Чорна рука», яка складається з 4 дітей, розслідує різноманітні злочини. Для того, щоб додати різноманітності та інтерактивності, кожен розділ закінчується тим, що діти щось шукають або помічають. Після цього пропонується малюнок, на якому читач має сам знайти доказ або певну персону,ніби відіграючи роль дітей.
Дуже раджу тим, в кого є діти, оскільки це чудовий засіб для спільного проведення часу.

[Nathan Alejandro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muy buena historia y la manera en que involucra al lector en la trama es muy creativa. La amo.

[Luis Armesilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Increíble la manera en que un libro te puede transportar a tu infancia nada más abrirlo. Lo recomiendo para todos los que tengáis hijos en edad de descubrir el misterio.

[Georgina]

I was obsessed with this book as a child, and would borrow it over and over from the library.

Finally purchased myself a copy as an adult and it's still great!

[Luinel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me gustó mucho el formato de historia y luego los dos dibujos para que buscases por qué se había llegado a una u otra conclusión.
Lo leí de niña y ahora también mi hijo.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally published in Germany in the late 60s (which would explain why the town looked peculiar to the 9 year old me), this follows the gang - Frank, Ralph, Angela and Keith W.S. (With Squirrel) - as they investigate four mysteries (“The Mysterious House”, “The Treasure In Breezy Lake”, “The Smuggler’s Tunnel” and “A Theft At The Zoo”). With a relatively smooth translation, each page of text is accompanied by a superbly detailed drawing that contains a clue for the reader, which the gang has already found.

I got this from the Rothwell Juniors Bookworm club, in 1978, without really knowing what it was but I fell in love with it immediately. Going back to it as an adult was a wonderfully nostalgic experience and the drawings are as clear and detailed and busy as I remember them - a real joy to look at. A superb book.

[Alberto Martín de Hijas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historias de misterio que insertan en la trama acertijos que el lector puede resolver con la ayuda de las ilustraciones. Muy recomendable para los niños y con un punto de nostalgia para los que lo leíamos en su momento.

[Irma Pérez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nunca conseguí comprarme este libro y esa es una de las espinitas que se me quedaron de pequeña. Recuerdo pedírselo prestado tantas veces a una niña que conocía que yo no sé cómo no me tiró el libro a la cabeza...

[Sarah's Reading Nook · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book as a child and have been thinking about it for the past 25+ years! I just now realized what it was called and am excited to read it again!

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un libro infantil y entretenido, te hace interactuar, buscando las pistas de la mano negra.

[Adric Rangel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy entretenido... Lo recomiendo

[Vitani Days · Rating 5 out of 5]

Momento infanzia.Questo libro era uno dei miei preferiti da piccina, al punto che con le mie amichette del quartiere avevamo fondato una Mano Nera tutta nostra, con tanto di quadernino per gli identikit ecc. ecc. (per la cronaca le vittime erano i ano i gli abitanti del quartiere, che poveretti ci dovevano pure sopportare).
L'aneddoto di cui sopra la dice lunga riguardo al mio amore per questo libro, e leggendolo ora da adulta non posso che confermare: ormai classicone della letteratura per bambini, sfida gli anni e resta di una freschezza che molte altre pubblicazioni si sognano.
Ciò che lo rende meraviglioso è proprio il fatto che a ogni mini-capitolo (una pagina) corrisponde un'illustrazione. Il lettore deve quindi mettersi d'impegno ed esaminare ogni centimetro di disegno per trovare la soluzione all'enigma proposto dai piccoli investigatori protagonisti (e non sempre è facile, garantito!). Storia semplice e scorrevole, con personaggi caratterizzati benissimo grazie a pochi ma funzionali tratti distintivi. Caricaturali ma proprio per questo riuscitissimi i cattivi.
Le illustrazioni, per inciso, sono una gioia per gli occhi. Espressive, simpatiche e dettagliatissime, rimandano una realtà mitteleuropea (il libro in originale è tedesco, se non ricordo male) quasi d'altri tempi.
Insomma, lettura per bambini straconsigliata, il coinvolgimento è assicurato.
P.S. La mia avventura preferita era quella che coinvolgeva lo zio di Rollo, mai dimenticata.

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

„Die Abenteuer der schwarzen Hand“ war schon in meiner Kindheit eines meiner liebsten Bücher. Stundenlang habe ich über den detailreichen Zeichnungen gebrütet, Hinweise gesucht und die vier jungen Detektive Frank, Ralph, Angela und Keith W. S. (mit Eichhörnchen!) auf ihren Abenteuern begleitet. Schon damals war es nicht nur das Rätselraten, das mich fesselte, sondern auch das Gefühl von Freiheit, das diese Kinder in ihrer kleinen Welt ausstrahlten.

Viele Jahre später habe ich das Buch erneut in die Hand genommen – und es hat nichts von seiner Faszination verloren. Die Illustrationen sind genauso lebendig und verspielt wie in meiner Erinnerung, und die Geschichten wecken noch immer diesen besonderen Nervenkitzel, wenn man auf Spurensuche geht. Heute lese ich die Geschichten zwar schneller, aber der Reiz bleibt derselbe: mitdenken, vergleichen, den entscheidenden Hinweis entdecken.

Dieses Buch ist zeitlos. Es macht Kindern Lust auf Detektivarbeit und schenkt Erwachsenen eine wunderbare Portion Nostalgie. Für mich ist es mehr als ein Kinderbuch – es ist ein Schatz, der Erinnerungen an die eigene Fantasie, an Abenteuerlust und an lange Nachmittage voller Rätsel wachruft. Wer es als Kind geliebt hat, wird es auch als Erwachsener nicht mehr missen wollen.

[H · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think the plethora of pictures every pair of pages are cute and it was fun to solve some of them. I think some are rather obvious though, and these aren't so much "thinking" puzzles/mysteries so much as they are "picture" ones. And I don't enjoy picture ones quite as much personally. I think I prefer the ones with riddles or logic or clever tricks more. But I like the premise of 4 kids solving mysteries, and I like how there's small mysteries with solutions revealed after every page turn with the solution following up. Not a ton of characterization or depth to the story or characters though nor a ton of continuity between stories/mysteries it seems.

I like them okay ish though. Nice fun about the counterfeit stamper in an abandoned house and the jewelry thief, even if I would have liked to know why the thief brought a ticket with their name on it to the house they were burglarizing or why the counterfeit maker had to use an abandoned house and not his own, and some other questionable things.

[Ethan Hulbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve had The Adventures of the Black Hand Gang by Hans Jürgen Press in my library since I was a kid. I’m sure my parents got it for me or something.

I’ve read this more times than I can count, I’m sure, so the puzzles aren’t really that puzzling to me anymore. I have most of them memorized. But it’s always fun to read again, especially after a couple years. I love the way they solve mysteries, even if it’s simplified – it’s for kids, after all. Can you find the secret entrance?

Actually, these used to be games in newspapers. This book is a collection of these games all put together to form stories. Author/illustrator Press actually is one of the originators of this kind of art puzzle. It’s like noir for kids. A wonderful introduction to mysteries as a whole.

This book will always have a place on my shelf. If you find anything out there by Hans Jürgen Press, you should pick it up too!

[iibook · Rating 4 out of 5]

In der 4.Klasse haben wir dieses Buch vorgelesen bekommen und gemeinsam als Klasse die Rätsel gelöst. Diese Erinnerungen wurden wach, als ich das Buch in einer Bücherzelle fand und Zuhause las. Noch heute finde ich das Konzept total toll, dass es eine Seite Text und eine Seite Rätsel Bild gibt. Mir hat es sogar als Erwachsene noch Spaß gemacht die Rätsel zu lösen. Nun werde ich das Buch auch bei der Nachhilfe einsetzen, als Lese-und Konzentrationsübung. 😊
Ein Stern Abzug gibt es nur, weil die Geschichte nicht so detailliert ist, was jedoch bei einer Seite Text auch schwierig ist. Doch manchmal hatte ich Schwierigkeiten zu folgen, was gerade alles passiert ist. Da wird es Kindern sicher nicht leichter fallen.

[elstaffe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pull quotes/notes
"Frank, who played the trumpet, was the leader; then there was quick-witted Angela;
Ralph, who usually wore a striped sweater; and lastly Keith W.S. and his inseparable companion, a squirrel. (W.S. stands for 'With Squirrel'.)" (7) I love this detail so much

(P91) what's the general sentiment on keeping the skull and horns of some dead animal mounted on the pediment of your zookeeper's office

"How good a detective were you?
...
If your number of correct answers was:
between 1-10; you will need to practice every day, if you want to become a master detective.
between 11-20: you are off to a good start. Keep on practicing, though.
between 21-30: your powers of observation are good. Try them out at home and at school. Help your mother find all your missing socks." (128)

[Lily Maardeen · Rating 5 out of 5]

No words can explain my love for this book enough. This book is what got me into reading when i was 11-12. I finished it in under a week i think. I even got my sister into reading it. We lost the book after a year or so but to this day my sister asks me what happened to it😭. This book is what got me into loving crime & thrillers. I am now reading an other crime/thriller book and even started writing about crime/thrillers. Im explaining it very boring but trust me if you have a kid or if you‘re a crime/thriller fan i would definitely recommend this book!! This book even includes mysteries that you can solve yourself.❤️

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fue una muy bonita experiencia de animación y promoción de lectura que realice en una clase en compañía de mi profesora Patricia Calonje y mis compañeras, acompañamos a los integrantes de la mano negra en su búsqueda de respuesta.Las preguntas que se realizaban al final de cada capitulo demuestran la importancia de la ilustración y los textos en los libros albums. En genera este cuento tiene muy buena trama, sin embargo esperaba un poco mas del final.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ich lese dieses Buch mit meinen Schülern und kannte es vorher nicht. Eine Schande, denn ich hätte es als Kind geliebt! Selbst als Erwachsene finde ich es einfach nur bezaubernd. Die Geschichten sind kurz, auf den Punkt und liebevoll entwickelt und die Bilder dazu, in denen die Hinweise versteckt sind, sind so liebevoll illustriert und detailliert, dass man auch als „Großer“ noch Freude hat sie zu erkunden.

[Alger Smythe-Hopkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

57/60 correct identifications and one was because a full glass of beer is not a 'clue' that someone has not been housebound all day.

These are just charming little mysteries that don't really make sense but are kind of fun. One observation though, the 1960s in Britain was apparently a civilization surviving entirely on beer and tobacco.

[Hans · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Black Hand Gang is a group of four friends (one "with squirrel") who solve mysteries. Each set of pages in the book pairs a page of text with an intricate drawing that the reader has to search for the next clue. This is a real treat, partly because it has a classic mystery tone with a European city vibe. Pure joy.

[Sara Zapata · Rating 5 out of 5]

Que libro tan bonito de leer, interactivo, lo leí por el colegio, y por una vez en muchos años, estuve feliz con un libro obligatorio del colegio, es súper interactivo, yo me divertía mucho con las ilustraciones averiguar las pistas que nos daban y me divertía mucho y me decepcionaba cuando no las lograba completar y así

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