The Mail Wagon Mystery

by May Justus, Lucia Patton (Illustrator)

An adventure awaited the six Murray children! They had been invited to stay with their relatives out of town while their mother recovered from an illness. Little did they know that an ancient feud, a charge against their uncle, and a mysterious stranger in the town would motivate them to unite as family and friends to unravel a mystery.

Genres: Childrens, Fiction

149 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1940

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the next chosen read aloud with my husband, 12.5 yr old daughter, and 7 yr old son. We read it within a week, partly because it isn't overly long but mostly because nearly every chapter ends on a cliffhanger. So much so it almost feels like they stop in the middle of explaining something but it starts a new chapter. It was an engaging mystery without being scary and had good messages about mountain community. The Murray Six were enjoyable to read about and Granny was a wise matriarch.

"Impulsively she turned to this girl who might have been her enemy but who had chosen to be her friend and put her arms around her." pg 38

"Don't you start a fire you can't put out. I've seen a good many fires started, and I've fought some, too! Be careful what you do, and be careful what you say. The Coomers may pile the wood, but it won't blaze unless somebody sticks a match to it." pg 51

"In the tense silence, Nancy's face poked in at the door. "Coming, Harriet?" she began, and then her face sobered, and she drew the door shut behind her as she slipped away. Nancy had a rare gift, Harriet thought: the gift of understanding a trying situation without having to have it explained to her." pg 58

"You must ease your load sometimes if you expect to carry it safely." pg 68

"And when folks stand side by side and share the carryin' of their load, it's a lot lighter." pg 69

[Kristi Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Fun old fashioned book about a family working together to solve a mystery. They also all worked together to stay together and make ends meet while their family was split apart while the Mom was sick. So fun to read these books published long ago.

[Rodger · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a mystery about some stolen money where the main characters' uncle is accused. This book deals with a long-standing hatred between two families.

The setting for the story is somewhere in the south, probably 1800s.

[Ariana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very nice readaloud for our family. Six siblings, so it had my oldest's attention right away.

[Maggie Sharp · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 ⭐

[Jenny Hartfelder · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book that my 4th grader and I enjoyed reading together.