The Mystery of the Mistakes in Mulligan's Mouth

by Jeffrey J. Glessing, Emmy Kidman (Illustrations)

A mysterious black box found on his grandfather's farm may just lead Harry on the adventure he craves. Eleven-year old Harry Mulligan hasn't had much to be excited about since his mother moved his family to rural Alabama to care for his aged grandfather. Harry is frustrated by his stuttering, as well as the constant pestering from his older sister Janie. The family can't pay their bills and Harry is frozen in fear by his grandfather who resides behind closed doors, unable to talk, unable to interact, chaining the family to live in this relic of a place by his very presence. Can the contents of the box be the key to solving the family's problems and help Harry solve the mystery of the mistakes in Mulligan's mouth? Find out in the entertaining story for stuttering and non-stuttering school age readers. This work of fiction is designed to give insight into the world of a boy that stutters while at the same time providing an entertaining and thought provoking adventure for middle grade and young adult readers.

174 pages, Paperback

Published June 1, 2016

Reviews

[Mike Kalmbach · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love that this story includes a protagonist with a persistent stutter. I enjoyed how the story covers the frustrations encountered by kids, as well as the unspoken guilt many feel for something that's out of their control. It was neat to see the contrast of having a grandfather with a stroke and a kid with a stutter, both of whom share a common tool to help them communicate with each other. Beyond the mystery, I liked how the story focused on building understanding of others, and how initial impressions are usually not correct. Overall, I'd recommend this for any young reader that has a relative with some form of a speech impediment, be it stuttering, apraxia, stroke, or anything else. It's definitely a good tool that can help build empathy, and can provide hope to those who are struggling through therapy.