What do you think?
Rate this book
Judy Bolton Mysteries #4
Seven Strange Clues
Kay Vincent dances around singing the school song as Girls' Farringdon High burns to the ground. Kay's behavior is appalling to the other girls who are devastated about the loss of their school. Many girls, including Judy, have lost their posters which had already been submitted for an upcoming contest. The fire leads to several unsolved mysteries. Several people suspect Honey of starting the fire out of maliciousness, and while Judy cannot believe the accusations, she admits that she doesn't know Honey that well. Judy vows to exonerate Honey of all blame. The mystery deepens when Judy learns that she is the winner of the poster contest! Judy is mystified, since her poster burned in the school. When Judy sees the winning poster, it is not her poster, but someone else's, with Judy's name on it! Judy must discover who the real artist is, who submitted the poster in her name, and repair a strained friendship.
236 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1932
About the author
Margaret Sutton
100 books49 followersMargaret Sutton was born Rachel Irene Beebe in Odin, Pennsylvania in 1903. She was the daughter of Victor Beebe, a well-known historian, and Estella Andrews Beebe. Being a spirited nonconformist, she dropped out of high school, but in 1920, graduated from the Rochester Business Institute. After graduation, she worked for several years as a secretary and in printing. During that time, she met William Sutton at a church dance in New York City. After a courtship exchanging poems and playing chess, they were married in 1924, and she began writing stories for her husband's daughter, Dorothy. Her first Judy Bolton Mystery was published in 1932 under the pen name Margaret Sutton. Ms. Sutton wove many real events and places into the Judy Bolton stories through the 35-year history of the series. She also wrote numerous stories for children and young adults. She was also active in social causes, joining the historic March on Washington in 1964. In 1965, her husband of more than 40 years died. In 1975, after traveling extensively, she married a long-time family friend, Everett Hunting. They moved to Berkeley, California and made their home there until 1993 when they moved back to Pennsylvania. Mr. Hunting died shortly after they moved. In 2001, at the age of 98, Margaret Sutton died in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, not far from her native Potter County.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
December 5, 2008
Another good mystery.
August 9, 2022
Plot:
In preparation for a upcoming poster contest Judy is having a work bench built in the Bolton's cellar. Not only will she and Horace have use for it but Judy also wants to have it for her friends; Honey who does not have the space to paint in her grandparents apartments, and Irene who can not afford her own paints.
The work bench is to be built by Stephen and Lon, two young men who are boarders at Irene's house and renting half of the Bolton's garage for their car. Stephen particularly seems to have taken a liking to Judy.
Now that Judy is spending more time in the cellar she is noticing some strange things. First she hears the sound of glass breaking and later she hears whistling. Things also begin to go missing such as an apple she is using as a reference for her poster and a stack of papers places by the furnace for burning.
One night Judy goes out to the movies with Peter while Honey uses Judy's work bench. The couple arrive back at the Bolton house at midnight to find Honey nervous and in a rush to leave. Although she insists she is fine Judy thinks Honey must have experienced something spooky in the cellar...
You can read the rest of this review on my blog: vintagegirlsbooks
Review:
- I found Irene very unlikeable. She gets mad at Judy and wants to end their friendship because she is jealous she didn't win the poster contest.
- I like how Sutton just exnihilated the Vincent family. Kay had been awful to Judy since book two so she certainly had it coming.
- I love how Honey clearly is interested in Horace in this book. They are an adorable couple in my opinion...which means I didn't much like how Irene was placed into the role that Lorraine takes when it comes to Judy and Arthur.
- I found the mystery in this book to move a little bit too fast for my liking. It seemed like Judy was making wild assumptions and they turned out to be true. I can overlook it tho since it's not the norm for this series.
- I like how we continue to find mysteries in the familiar setting of the Bolton home. I enjoy the mysterious history of the house and like it being used beyond The Haunted Attic.
- I also was a fan of Blackberry helping solve the mystery. I think Sutton did a good job of including him but also keeping him as a realistic cat. He helps them solve the mystery simply by wanting to be let outside.
- I like Stephen and Lon and would have enjoyed if they became semi-reoccurring characters in the series.
In preparation for a upcoming poster contest Judy is having a work bench built in the Bolton's cellar. Not only will she and Horace have use for it but Judy also wants to have it for her friends; Honey who does not have the space to paint in her grandparents apartments, and Irene who can not afford her own paints.
The work bench is to be built by Stephen and Lon, two young men who are boarders at Irene's house and renting half of the Bolton's garage for their car. Stephen particularly seems to have taken a liking to Judy.
Now that Judy is spending more time in the cellar she is noticing some strange things. First she hears the sound of glass breaking and later she hears whistling. Things also begin to go missing such as an apple she is using as a reference for her poster and a stack of papers places by the furnace for burning.
One night Judy goes out to the movies with Peter while Honey uses Judy's work bench. The couple arrive back at the Bolton house at midnight to find Honey nervous and in a rush to leave. Although she insists she is fine Judy thinks Honey must have experienced something spooky in the cellar...
You can read the rest of this review on my blog: vintagegirlsbooks
Review:
- I found Irene very unlikeable. She gets mad at Judy and wants to end their friendship because she is jealous she didn't win the poster contest.
- I like how Sutton just exnihilated the Vincent family. Kay had been awful to Judy since book two so she certainly had it coming.
- I love how Honey clearly is interested in Horace in this book. They are an adorable couple in my opinion...which means I didn't much like how Irene was placed into the role that Lorraine takes when it comes to Judy and Arthur.
- I found the mystery in this book to move a little bit too fast for my liking. It seemed like Judy was making wild assumptions and they turned out to be true. I can overlook it tho since it's not the norm for this series.
- I like how we continue to find mysteries in the familiar setting of the Bolton home. I enjoy the mysterious history of the house and like it being used beyond The Haunted Attic.
- I also was a fan of Blackberry helping solve the mystery. I think Sutton did a good job of including him but also keeping him as a realistic cat. He helps them solve the mystery simply by wanting to be let outside.
- I like Stephen and Lon and would have enjoyed if they became semi-reoccurring characters in the series.
February 2, 2023
Seven Strange Clues was written by Margaret Sutton and published in 1932. It is the fourth book in the Judy Bolton mystery series. In this one Judy and her girl friends are all entering posters they are going to create for a contest. Then mysterious things start to happen around the contest, a catastrophe hits the girl’s high school and the Bolton’s cellar seems like it may be harboring a secret.
I adore the Judy Bolton books. They are one of my all time favorite mystery series for young readers from this era. I love how the series evolves and it’s necessary to read these in order. Judy and her friends are a delight as well and I enjoy spending time with them. That being said, while I still really enjoyed this one, it may be my least favorite so far. The poster contest plot was a little silly to me in particular. Still there were some good moments and justice was served which was satisfying. Those who had been taking from those less fortunate got what they deserved and so did those who were good and deserved more for themselves.
Looking forward to continuing this series!
I adore the Judy Bolton books. They are one of my all time favorite mystery series for young readers from this era. I love how the series evolves and it’s necessary to read these in order. Judy and her friends are a delight as well and I enjoy spending time with them. That being said, while I still really enjoyed this one, it may be my least favorite so far. The poster contest plot was a little silly to me in particular. Still there were some good moments and justice was served which was satisfying. Those who had been taking from those less fortunate got what they deserved and so did those who were good and deserved more for themselves.
Looking forward to continuing this series!
January 17, 2016
1932.
Judy is attending Farringdon Girls' High School. Horace is her brother. Grace is known as 'Honey.' Irene is a girl who works in a silk mill and goes to a different school to take evening classes. Her father had become ill from the paint used in the factory. Irene's family also takes in borders to help their financial situation.
The school is having a project to paint posters and that starts the problems. Judy is doing her work in the basement and she hears the sound of breaking glass but can't find anything broken. Then an apple disappears from the bowl of fruit she was trying to paint, and a whole stack of papers also mysteriously disappears. To top it off, the school basically disappears after a mysterious fire burns it to the ground.
Kay Vincent is a very mean student and her father, Harry Vincent, is even more mean.
Things get very confused when the poster display is held at a department store and Judy's wins first place. Problem is, Judy never submitted her poster
Then there's also one other little problems to solve. Liquor thieves, an unknown tunnel and a major thief. A very interesting book.
Judy is attending Farringdon Girls' High School. Horace is her brother. Grace is known as 'Honey.' Irene is a girl who works in a silk mill and goes to a different school to take evening classes. Her father had become ill from the paint used in the factory. Irene's family also takes in borders to help their financial situation.
The school is having a project to paint posters and that starts the problems. Judy is doing her work in the basement and she hears the sound of breaking glass but can't find anything broken. Then an apple disappears from the bowl of fruit she was trying to paint, and a whole stack of papers also mysteriously disappears. To top it off, the school basically disappears after a mysterious fire burns it to the ground.
Kay Vincent is a very mean student and her father, Harry Vincent, is even more mean.
Things get very confused when the poster display is held at a department store and Judy's wins first place. Problem is, Judy never submitted her poster
Then there's also one other little problems to solve. Liquor thieves, an unknown tunnel and a major thief. A very interesting book.
May 6, 2021
Seven Strange Clues is the next book of the Judy Bolton series, after The Invisible Chimes. The Judy Bolton books, as much as any series I'm currently reading, benefit from reading them in order. It's not entirely necessary, but it helps, and you get a richer understanding of the wide array of characters and their evolving development and relationships. I liked this one a lot because ART is at the center of the mystery—part of the story is about a poster contest in town that a lot of the kids enter. Judy is convinced that she's terrible at painting, and it's quite funny. It's a pretty baffling mystery—quite satisfying—there's a secret passageway, bootleggers, and, like I said before, arson and art. Also, Blackberry, Judy's cat, gets involved, and that's always a plus.
October 12, 2009
I have enjoyed re-reading these Judy Bolton mysteries. They are fun reading, but they are not very realistic. I mean, the Chief of Police comes to a 16 year old high school girl to help him solve crimes? But that's half the fun of these books! I think when I read them at age 16 myself, I just enjoyed them and didn't worry about realism!!
November 28, 2017
The nostalgia has worn off for the most part. This was an okay mystery, but we really did not have enough information to figure it out. Now we know who the "bad guys" in the series are: the Vincents. I would like to have found out more about life in the mills from Irene, but now she's a secretary for Dr. Bolton. And these are all still high school kids.
February 23, 2026
This one was a quick read, that held my interest beautifully. The characters are wholesome and cleancut; loyalty, honesty and courage are highly valued. I appreciated Judy's character growth, learning to be patient and kind even while someone was trying to smudge and ruin her reputation.
There is some very mild "childhood sweetheart" type romance, which is appropriate for the mid-teens protagonists. It builds some background for later books.
You can tell these books are pretty old when the "bad guys" are bootleg whiskey smugglers. 😄
Something else I appreciate about this series is that there is a slightly more believable timeline (Judy DOES eventually grow up and get married) than many of the series for girls from this era, such as Nancy Drew. Seriously, did Nancy ever get ANY older through all of the books???
There is some very mild "childhood sweetheart" type romance, which is appropriate for the mid-teens protagonists. It builds some background for later books.
You can tell these books are pretty old when the "bad guys" are bootleg whiskey smugglers. 😄
Something else I appreciate about this series is that there is a slightly more believable timeline (Judy DOES eventually grow up and get married) than many of the series for girls from this era, such as Nancy Drew. Seriously, did Nancy ever get ANY older through all of the books???
February 11, 2018
A series of odd events add up to a new mystery for Judy and her friends. Students at various schools in town, including the Girls High which Judy and most of her friends attend, are competing in a poster contest, drawing and painting their own ideas. At first Judy doesn't plan to enter, since she does not draw well, but agrees to to encourage her friends Honey and Irene. Unlike the other girls, Irene works at the silk mill, and attends night school, and is looked down on by some of the wealthier girls. But not by Judy, who is willing to be friends with just about anyone. But the day after most of the Girls High students turned in their posters, the school burns down. Only two posters survive: Kay Vincent's, who had for some unknown reason "taken up" Irene; and one submitted in Judy's name, but not created by her. Judy is determined to get to the bottom of these, and a few other, events, and determine not only what happened, but who is responsible. Enjoyable.
January 5, 2019
I've really enjoyed this series! Since only the first couple are easily available through the inter-library system, I've had to pick up editions on Ebay and the Gutenburg project to keep up with Judy and her friends.
And, sure enough, I'm eager to read the next one! Thankful for a fun mystery series that is clean as a whistle, with non-violent mysteries to solve...that genuinely give you mild heebie-jeebies sometimes! A series worth owning, so I'm working at it. ;-)
And, sure enough, I'm eager to read the next one! Thankful for a fun mystery series that is clean as a whistle, with non-violent mysteries to solve...that genuinely give you mild heebie-jeebies sometimes! A series worth owning, so I'm working at it. ;-)
March 30, 2018
This novel continues the adventures of Judy and her group of friends. While it can be read stand-alone, it does provide information about the house, the Vincent family, and others that will be useful later on in the series. The reader gets to know Irene and Kay better as well as watch Judy interact with Peter and Arthur. As usual, Judy is right in the thick of it all.
February 2, 2016
This was a very cute continuation of Judy's story. I also liked how they pulled more of the house's history into the story.
I did not like the use to two very very minor curse words. They were so unnecessary.
I did not like the use to two very very minor curse words. They were so unnecessary.
June 20, 2020
okay, even I have to admit it. The writing in this one was not stellar. But, I still enjoyed the imperfect heroine, and the mystery, and the nostalgia.
March 29, 2024
“All kinds of ghastly things may have happened in this tunnel. What’s that?”
The others turned as he said it and when they saw what had frightened Horace he looked a little sheepish. Blackberry was climbing down the ladder. But the cat certainly made an eerie picture as his agile body descended noiselessly….Irene shivered and clutched Horace’s arm.
“There’s something about cats that I don’t quite like,” she said “….not black ones in cellars.”
The shadow of the murdered Vine Thompson still lingers over Judy’s house on Grove Street and once again, her evil doings continue to provide Judy with mysteries to solve and adventures to be had. There is more than one mystery in this fourth book in the series. It starts out innocently enough with Judy and her school friends planning to enter a poster contest to celebrate “Health Week”. Meanwhile, Dr. Bolton has rented out his garage to two strangers who board at Irene’s house. They offer to build a workbench in the Bolton’s cellar with some lumber in the garage. Judy and Honey will work on their posters there.
Despite her distinct lack of artistic talent, Judy decides to paint a bowl of fruit for her poster.
Golly! It’s bright [Horace] exclaimed “What is it? The sun?”
“Of course not, Silly. Can’t you see it’s in a blue dish?”…
I thought that was the sky.”
“You had the picture upside down.”
“So I did. Hmm! I see now. It’s an orange. Looks as if it’s beginning to go bad. But Judy, seriously, orange leaves aren’t yellow and they aren’t as long as this”…If you just put a little more green in those leaves——
“But they’re not leaves. They’re bananas!”
When Judy wins first prize, everyone is in shock. Sweet Mrs. Bolton wonders if Judy’s poster was taken “for one of those modernistic paintings.” When they go to the exhibit at Brandt’s department store where the posters are being displayed, they see that someone has put Judy’s name on someone else’s beautifully done poster. Why? What are the strange sounds coming from the cellar, and why are papers missing and who ate the apple out of Judy’s bowl of fruit? Why has snobby, mean, and hateful Kay Vincent suddenly befriended poor Irene? Why is Honey behaving so strangely? Why does Kay’s poster have a missing corner and a smudge on it? And most importantly of all, who burned down the High School?
All eyes turn to Judy and she is persona non grata when it is suspected that she took someone else’s poster and claimed it as her own. To make matters worse, it is Honey’s poster that someone has put Judy’s name on, and Honey is not happy. Rumors are spreading that, incredibly, Judy or Honey is the one who burned down the school! And why are the shades always drawn on the car that Irene’s boarders are keeping in Judy’s garage? It all comes to a head when Judy discovers a secret room underneath the Bolton’s cellar complete with a tunnel leading to their garage. I will say no more except to point out that this book was written in 1932, 1 year before Prohibition ended.
This one excelled in tying all of the diverse mysteries into a neatly packaged whole. Both the personal dramas and the genuine criminality that Judy uncovers make for one of the better books in the series. Judy single-handedly extracts a confession from the culprit who started the school fire, and her detective work leads to the disgrace of a prominent citizen of Farringdon. At least we hope so. She even is responsible for getting Irene out of the drudgery of her life as a mill worker. This book advances the relationships between Judy and her friends, and justice is served on all fronts. But have we seen the last of Kay Vincent? Time will tell.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
https://rebekahsreadingsandwatchings....
June 29, 2024
Been bogged down in a few disappointing nonfiction academic books lately and wanted to give my mind a break with a simpler story, a girls' mystery from 1932. I'm sure I picked this up at some vintage/antique store years ago.
It was a cute little mystery and had a good fast pace. I like that Judy wasn't a total idiot and immediately connected all the dots, even as her friends were a couple steps behind. That's a good way to write a character that actually feels smart. It did a great job of all tying together in the end, too!
I was a little confused at parts because there were a lot of characters and I think this would be better read in a series (this is book 4 of a whole bunch I guess). It was still accessible by itself but it definitely hinted at a lot of outside context. This might be what it feels like to watch a new Marvel movie today without having seen the others. It definitely seemed interesting enough though and it's a series I'd probably read in the background sometime if they're all as good as this one. Loved that the mystery focused on her house, too, I love a good creepy house mystery.
I also really enjoyed the dig at cubism that Horace snuck in. Yeah! Fuck cubism!
It was a cute little mystery and had a good fast pace. I like that Judy wasn't a total idiot and immediately connected all the dots, even as her friends were a couple steps behind. That's a good way to write a character that actually feels smart. It did a great job of all tying together in the end, too!
I was a little confused at parts because there were a lot of characters and I think this would be better read in a series (this is book 4 of a whole bunch I guess). It was still accessible by itself but it definitely hinted at a lot of outside context. This might be what it feels like to watch a new Marvel movie today without having seen the others. It definitely seemed interesting enough though and it's a series I'd probably read in the background sometime if they're all as good as this one. Loved that the mystery focused on her house, too, I love a good creepy house mystery.
I also really enjoyed the dig at cubism that Horace snuck in. Yeah! Fuck cubism!
October 20, 2023
Book 4,
Judys beloved Farringdon High burns to the ground, and rumor spreads that Honey might be the culprit. Honeys newly found friendship in Judy and family, is still shaky, but Judy is determined to exonerate her friend. Judy not believing her newfound friend had anything to do with the fire sets out and tries to solve the mystery, behind the mysterious school fire. In the school fire, many of the girls have painted posters for an upcoming contest, all are lost. Did Honey set the fire so she could win? Thankfully Judy has enough time to make another poster, but when Judy is declared the winner of such a beautiful poster, Judy realizes it's not hers--but someone put her name on it. Determined to find the real artist, to give them the credit they deserve, there's one mystery after another for Judy to solve.
Judys beloved Farringdon High burns to the ground, and rumor spreads that Honey might be the culprit. Honeys newly found friendship in Judy and family, is still shaky, but Judy is determined to exonerate her friend. Judy not believing her newfound friend had anything to do with the fire sets out and tries to solve the mystery, behind the mysterious school fire. In the school fire, many of the girls have painted posters for an upcoming contest, all are lost. Did Honey set the fire so she could win? Thankfully Judy has enough time to make another poster, but when Judy is declared the winner of such a beautiful poster, Judy realizes it's not hers--but someone put her name on it. Determined to find the real artist, to give them the credit they deserve, there's one mystery after another for Judy to solve.
January 13, 2023
I liked this one - especially the way Judy isn't an artist! Very refreshing to have the heroine of a series book not excel at something - Nancy are you listening? Anyway that said what I really want to know is was there any comeuppance for the Vincent family? I am hoping subsequent books will provide the answer!
March 17, 2024
Judy”s 4th adventure about a health poster contest quickly turns into a small town scandal. Liked the story, but sometimes the writing was a bit choppy.
January 17, 2026
One of the better of the Nancy Drew clones out there.
Judy is likable and her friends feel a bit more real, she isn't part of one big happy gang, but rather a circle of kids, who come and go, depending on if the story needs them to be there.
The mystery is pretty light weight and seems to take half the book to fully kick in.
Part of the story wraps up some subplots from the previous book, so part of the resolution comes out of nowhere, but otherwise this is a decent series.
Judy is likable and her friends feel a bit more real, she isn't part of one big happy gang, but rather a circle of kids, who come and go, depending on if the story needs them to be there.
The mystery is pretty light weight and seems to take half the book to fully kick in.
Part of the story wraps up some subplots from the previous book, so part of the resolution comes out of nowhere, but otherwise this is a decent series.
February 4, 2017
Good entry in the Judy Bolton series.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews