What do you think?
Rate this book
A to Z Mysteries #11
The Kidnapped King
Help Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose solve mysteries from A to Z!
Kids love collecting the entire alphabet and super editions! With over 8 million copies in print, the A to Z Mysteries® have been hooking chapter book readers on mysteries and reading for years. Now this classic kid favorite is back with a bright new look!
K is for Kidnapped . . . The king and queen of Costra have been kidnapped. For his own safety, Prince Sammi comes to Green Lawn to hide out at Dink’s house. But then Sammi is captured, too! Who kidnapped the king and his family? It’s a royal mystery for Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose.
Kids love collecting the entire alphabet and super editions! With over 8 million copies in print, the A to Z Mysteries® have been hooking chapter book readers on mysteries and reading for years. Now this classic kid favorite is back with a bright new look!
K is for Kidnapped . . . The king and queen of Costra have been kidnapped. For his own safety, Prince Sammi comes to Green Lawn to hide out at Dink’s house. But then Sammi is captured, too! Who kidnapped the king and his family? It’s a royal mystery for Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose.
96 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
319 people are currently reading
1089 people want to read
About the author
Ron Roy
273 books392 followersRon Roy has been writing books for children since 1974. He is the author of dozens of books, including the popular A to Z Mysteries®, Calendar Mysteries, and Capital Mysteries. When not working on a new book, Ron likes to teach tricks to his dog Pal, play poker with friends, travel, and read thrilling mystery books.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 124 reviews
January 18, 2020
Rated for genre. A nice bedtime read as well
May 5, 2021
Instant three stars because I read it to my six year old daughter in one sitting. Once we got to the middle where we would have put it down, she kept asking me to read more. For that experience, I will always treasure A to Z Mysteries.
We picked this one up from the library. My daughter asked me to look up all A to Z Mysteries on our library' phone app. I read through each title and she'd either say we read it or she wanted me to put it on hold. We put about 8 of them on hold and from that pile, this one was her first choice.
I thought the actual mystery seemed a little gritty for Dink, Josh and Ruth Rose. And while I'm mentioning Ruth Rose--does the author ever read these stories aloud? Some of these pages I have to say "Ruth Rose" 10 times. Can we just call her Ruth? Or Rose? Or how about Ruby Rose? Or Ruth Anything Besides Rose? It's too much of a tongue twister for me to read thirty minutes before my kid falls asleep and I'm half dead from running around all day.
The mystery is a little gritty because it involves the kidnapping of a new friend. The villains seem one step away from committing murder--which I think the series typically avoids. We've read a bunch of these, all out of order. And The Kidnapped King's sequel is The Yellow Yacht. We read that one first. I liked that one better. It has a nice wholesome crime--bank robbery.
My main complaint about this series is that the villains are all "bad guys" who get caught and thrown in jail. As a parent, I kind of want children to understand why people commit crimes. Not all criminals steal things just to be dastardly. Is poverty an issue? I don't mind that some stories have plain old "bad guys" but I think a little empathy or understanding would help. Is this asking too much from an early reader mystery series? Maybe.
We've read a few of the Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew series--what I liked about those books, is that the mystery usually has an explanation that involves more than a person just doing a bad thing.
But taking this book for what it is, an A to Z Mystery, my daughter was engaged from beginning to end. She had an idea who the kidnapper was and she enjoyed seeing her hunch line up with the clues.
We picked this one up from the library. My daughter asked me to look up all A to Z Mysteries on our library' phone app. I read through each title and she'd either say we read it or she wanted me to put it on hold. We put about 8 of them on hold and from that pile, this one was her first choice.
I thought the actual mystery seemed a little gritty for Dink, Josh and Ruth Rose. And while I'm mentioning Ruth Rose--does the author ever read these stories aloud? Some of these pages I have to say "Ruth Rose" 10 times. Can we just call her Ruth? Or Rose? Or how about Ruby Rose? Or Ruth Anything Besides Rose? It's too much of a tongue twister for me to read thirty minutes before my kid falls asleep and I'm half dead from running around all day.
The mystery is a little gritty because it involves the kidnapping of a new friend. The villains seem one step away from committing murder--which I think the series typically avoids. We've read a bunch of these, all out of order. And The Kidnapped King's sequel is The Yellow Yacht. We read that one first. I liked that one better. It has a nice wholesome crime--bank robbery.
My main complaint about this series is that the villains are all "bad guys" who get caught and thrown in jail. As a parent, I kind of want children to understand why people commit crimes. Not all criminals steal things just to be dastardly. Is poverty an issue? I don't mind that some stories have plain old "bad guys" but I think a little empathy or understanding would help. Is this asking too much from an early reader mystery series? Maybe.
We've read a few of the Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew series--what I liked about those books, is that the mystery usually has an explanation that involves more than a person just doing a bad thing.
But taking this book for what it is, an A to Z Mystery, my daughter was engaged from beginning to end. She had an idea who the kidnapper was and she enjoyed seeing her hunch line up with the clues.
June 27, 2022
My summer buddy reading has begun! This was read with my very favorite buddy (my niece). She rated this a 5 as it’s her favorite A to Z mystery. We read it together in a day.
As a side note, it’s actually so sweet and kind of refreshing to go back in time and enjoy these kind of books that inspired my love for reading. And now watching them do the same for my niece makes all of them a 5 star to me.
As a side note, it’s actually so sweet and kind of refreshing to go back in time and enjoy these kind of books that inspired my love for reading. And now watching them do the same for my niece makes all of them a 5 star to me.
August 18, 2025
not my favorite of the series
February 24, 2018
I did not like this book. It started with David Pittu, the narrator, using the same voice as one of the characters from 39 Clues as the voice of the teacher - disorienting. Then the premise of this book was strange: . The writing has gotten lazier; the children finding clues and putting them together while creatively leaving out just enough that the reader might not find the ending predictable is gone. Instead the children are protrayed as curious and nosey while forgetting what they noticed just a few pages earlier: . Rose and Josh, instead of growing have been pushed back, getting less involvement in the solution, and other characters have changed completely: .
March 29, 2021
Absolutely loved these as a kid! The first book I read from the same series was The quicksand question by Ron Roy. Got hooked on these after that.
November 27, 2025
What in the white people shit is this?
December 29, 2025
Figured it out from the get go 💪🏼
October 29, 2014
The book I read was "The Kidnapped King" by Ron Roy. This book was eleventh in the series. I liked the book but did not love it. These books deal with mysteries and solving them. You do not have to read them in order,because they all deal with separate mysteries that are being solved.
Sammi (The Prince of Costra) was trying to hide the thieves. Dink did not know that he was a prince. He found out he was when Dink gave him clothes to change into. The Prince said that he had five servants that would do all of his things. Together they played tag football and other games. The Princes' tutor showed up and worked on his French with him and he said he would only work on it if Dink could learn it too. They did numbers and then moved on to colors. Dink could say all but one jaune that was yellow in French. The next morning Dink went to wake up the Prince but could not find him. Dink ran downstairs and told his mom that he couldn't find him. The door was forced open. They saw a yellow piece of glass that belonged to the Sammi. Dink looked for more clues and found a trail leading to the car. Then the police came and found a gold tassel that was on his slipper. They went to a hotel room and search where his tutored lived. When they left a guy was walking out with a basket of white clothes, but he didn’t have an employee shirt on so they asked him what he was doing. They dumped the basket out and found the prince was in there. Then his mom and the tutor showed up and said she didn't know who he was, but it was her husband.
I would recommend this book to young children who are in third grade and up. Both girls and guys would like this book, because it deals with them during the whole story. It also deals with mysteries and how they are solved.
Sammi (The Prince of Costra) was trying to hide the thieves. Dink did not know that he was a prince. He found out he was when Dink gave him clothes to change into. The Prince said that he had five servants that would do all of his things. Together they played tag football and other games. The Princes' tutor showed up and worked on his French with him and he said he would only work on it if Dink could learn it too. They did numbers and then moved on to colors. Dink could say all but one jaune that was yellow in French. The next morning Dink went to wake up the Prince but could not find him. Dink ran downstairs and told his mom that he couldn't find him. The door was forced open. They saw a yellow piece of glass that belonged to the Sammi. Dink looked for more clues and found a trail leading to the car. Then the police came and found a gold tassel that was on his slipper. They went to a hotel room and search where his tutored lived. When they left a guy was walking out with a basket of white clothes, but he didn’t have an employee shirt on so they asked him what he was doing. They dumped the basket out and found the prince was in there. Then his mom and the tutor showed up and said she didn't know who he was, but it was her husband.
I would recommend this book to young children who are in third grade and up. Both girls and guys would like this book, because it deals with them during the whole story. It also deals with mysteries and how they are solved.
October 31, 2013
The king and queen of Costra have been captured, and their son, Sammi, is sent to the United States for his safety. Dink's family is suppose to protect him until his parents are found. Then Sammi gets kidnapped by the same people who kidnapped his parents. Dink, Josh, and Ruth are suppose to solve the clues Sammi left behind to save him before he is killed.
Dink, Josh, and Ruth are the main characters in “The Kidnapped King”. Sammi also is an important character throughout the book. They all cross paths with other characters like Dink’s mom and Sammi’s interpreter.
The majority of the book takes place at Dink’s house which is located in the town of Green Lawn. The objects found in Dink's house indicate that the story takes place in modern times.
Friendship is the only theme I see throughout the book. In the beginning of the book, the principal makes Dink, Josh, and Ruth become friends with the new student, Sammi. They then try to save their friend Sammi from the kidnappers throughout the rest of the book.
Overall, I thought that "The Kidnapped King" was easy to understand and kept you guessing. I recommend this book to all kids in middle school and older because it is a mystery that everybody will enjoy.
Dink, Josh, and Ruth are the main characters in “The Kidnapped King”. Sammi also is an important character throughout the book. They all cross paths with other characters like Dink’s mom and Sammi’s interpreter.
The majority of the book takes place at Dink’s house which is located in the town of Green Lawn. The objects found in Dink's house indicate that the story takes place in modern times.
Friendship is the only theme I see throughout the book. In the beginning of the book, the principal makes Dink, Josh, and Ruth become friends with the new student, Sammi. They then try to save their friend Sammi from the kidnappers throughout the rest of the book.
Overall, I thought that "The Kidnapped King" was easy to understand and kept you guessing. I recommend this book to all kids in middle school and older because it is a mystery that everybody will enjoy.
November 1, 2013
In “The Kidnapped King”, the King and Queen of Costra have been kidnapped, so their son Sammi is sent to the town of Green Lawn to live with Dink. Dink’s family is supposed to keep him safe until his parents are found. To their surprise, Sammi gets kidnapped by the same people who kidnapped his parents. Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose want to find him before he gets hurt, or even killed.
Most of the book takes place at Dink’s house. It starts off in the school, but they aren't there for very long. I think the book is written in modern times just because of the stuff they talk about in Dink's house.
Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose are all main characters in “The Kidnapped King”. Sammi is also a very important character, but is not mentioned as much. Dink’s mom, the interpreter, Officer Fallon, are some other characters that are involved.
I think friendship is a major theme throughout this book. I saw it in the beginning of the book when Sammi first came to Green Lawn to live with Dink. Dink, Josh, and Ruth all accepted him as a friend. Also, when Sammi went missing, they all decide to look for her.
Overall, I thought this book was very good. I would recommend it to people who like to read about mysteries, and to people who don’t like to read long books.
Most of the book takes place at Dink’s house. It starts off in the school, but they aren't there for very long. I think the book is written in modern times just because of the stuff they talk about in Dink's house.
Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose are all main characters in “The Kidnapped King”. Sammi is also a very important character, but is not mentioned as much. Dink’s mom, the interpreter, Officer Fallon, are some other characters that are involved.
I think friendship is a major theme throughout this book. I saw it in the beginning of the book when Sammi first came to Green Lawn to live with Dink. Dink, Josh, and Ruth all accepted him as a friend. Also, when Sammi went missing, they all decide to look for her.
Overall, I thought this book was very good. I would recommend it to people who like to read about mysteries, and to people who don’t like to read long books.
January 3, 2014
Plot: The plot of the story is to go through the events that lead up to the kidnapping of Sammi. To discover the location of Sammi, the kids would need Pal, the dog, to find a hot trail.
Characterization: Dink was a young boy who was a host brother to Sammi. Josh was Dink’s friend who owns a dog. Ruth Rose was Dink’s neighbor and good friend who helped them solve the mystery. Sammi Bin Oz was a kid from Costra, who his parents were King and Queen.
Pal was Josh’s dog, who helped find the little glass pieces that led the kids to Sammi’s location.
Setting: The setting is in the United states during this time period. The setting is a perfect place and time to tell the story, because it gives a good description of the events that happen in the story. With this in mind, this is a good setting for the story to take place.
Who and Why: I would recommend this book to grade schoolers, because it's a child’s book and it would be easy for a grade schooler to follow along and understand. A grade schooler would enjoy reading it, because it's not that long and it is full of pictures.
December 23, 2016
I thought this book had lots of detail and had a lot of adjectives.
While I was reading, I could kind of see the picture in my head. The book was like a movie and whenever I read it for a second time, I don't change the picture. I just use the same picture.
The book is about three kids who have another mystery to solve.
There is a boy that is visiting the three kids. He turns out to be a prince! The king and the queen have been kidnapped and the prince is next.
The kids have to find out who is kidnapping the royal family and find the prince and his family.
I thought the book was scary and interesting at the same time.
While I was reading, I could kind of see the picture in my head. The book was like a movie and whenever I read it for a second time, I don't change the picture. I just use the same picture.
The book is about three kids who have another mystery to solve.
There is a boy that is visiting the three kids. He turns out to be a prince! The king and the queen have been kidnapped and the prince is next.
The kids have to find out who is kidnapping the royal family and find the prince and his family.
I thought the book was scary and interesting at the same time.
May 5, 2020
I thought this was completely cheesy but Caroline couldn’t stop talking about the mystery aspect. I guess it was suspenseful enough for a 6 year old.
April 10, 2021
Picked these up without much thought after my 8yo son binged on all 50+ of The Magic Treehouse. I feel their 4+ star rating is highly inaccurate. The series is really lacking and we won’t be finishing it.
Though these books encourage friendship they have many other shortfalls:
1. Lack of storyline depth. These things that happen are banally nonsensical which would seem harmless on the surface but encourage readers to accept reasoning that is simply poorly thought out. Many of the story lines are based on half thought out occurrences that aren’t whimsical, amusing or adventurous. They are just overly simplistic plot points. It seems the author was ok with mass production for the sake of alphabetical titles and a full set of 26 books.
Specific to this edition, it makes no sense when the guardian of the prince brings him to the hero and then tries to kidnap him from the hero.
2. The secondary characters (recurring but not main) have no personality. The third level (specific to editions, non recurring) characters are insulting.
3. White white white
4. What was all that about? Not teaching any skills, deeper messages, values. Of course it hits on friendship, family relationships, standard middle class themes but those aren’t plumbed below the high surface. The friends don’t have quarrels, face personal challenges or overcome obstacles that real kids face.
Though these books encourage friendship they have many other shortfalls:
1. Lack of storyline depth. These things that happen are banally nonsensical which would seem harmless on the surface but encourage readers to accept reasoning that is simply poorly thought out. Many of the story lines are based on half thought out occurrences that aren’t whimsical, amusing or adventurous. They are just overly simplistic plot points. It seems the author was ok with mass production for the sake of alphabetical titles and a full set of 26 books.
Specific to this edition, it makes no sense when the guardian of the prince brings him to the hero and then tries to kidnap him from the hero.
2. The secondary characters (recurring but not main) have no personality. The third level (specific to editions, non recurring) characters are insulting.
3. White white white
4. What was all that about? Not teaching any skills, deeper messages, values. Of course it hits on friendship, family relationships, standard middle class themes but those aren’t plumbed below the high surface. The friends don’t have quarrels, face personal challenges or overcome obstacles that real kids face.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 9, 2024
Do you ever wander past the giveaway shelf at a local library? I honestly never have. Inevitably, I stop and find some new treasures, and this past year has had me seeking stories to read with my elementary school reading buddy. This provided to be a lively read for us both, and I was charmed by the characters (young children) who exhibit friendship, courage, and curiosity when life presents challenges. Best of all, the children who read this with me were excited about identifying the clues, puzzling away into new answers, and posing new "what if" ideas. Read this with someone who is growing and open to new adventures.
April 30, 2020
I listened to an audio version of this engaging mystery for early chapter book readers. Sammy is the prince of a small country in the Indian Ocean. He confided to Dink and his friends, Josh and Ruby Rose that his parents have been kidnapped by enemies of the crown who want to take over the country. He has been secreted out and hidden in the small town to keep him safe. He has a tutor who stays at a nearby hotel, but Sammy stays at Dink's house. Then Sammy is kidnapped one night. Can Dink and his friends and Josh's dog Pal find Sammy from the clues he left?
March 31, 2019
Read these books when I was a kid and greatly enjoyed them, figured I'd give them a second read for kicks.
I certainly recommend any young mysteries fan devote time to this series, it's certainly a grand adventure for a young mind, the imagery of Ron Roy's words and his settings and unique character descriptions and personalities really help kids imagine a whole movie in their heads as they read each exciting page.
I certainly recommend any young mysteries fan devote time to this series, it's certainly a grand adventure for a young mind, the imagery of Ron Roy's words and his settings and unique character descriptions and personalities really help kids imagine a whole movie in their heads as they read each exciting page.
May 8, 2019
It is super hard to review this as an adult but I found it to be surprisingly entertaining. When a new boys comes to school Dink's family is chosen to host him. After only his first night in their home he is kidnapped and Dink and his friends work to figure out how to save him. I appreciated that it wasn't too scary, especially for a book about kidnapping. The crime is resolved rather quickly but is still clever.
July 8, 2021
Dink, Josh and Ruth Rose help solve a kidnapping of a young prince that has come to stay at Dink's house. Prince Sammi's parents have been kidnapped and his people think Sammi could be next. So they send him into hiding, with his tutor, to Green Lawn at Dink's house. While there Sammi is kidnapped but he leaves a trail, the detective trio follow the trail and find Sammi. Another successful mystery solved.
June 23, 2018
My six-year-old daughter says:
I didn't really like it that much because it's sort of a good mystery but it doesn't have a lot of action.
My four-year-old son says:
I liked the Kidnapped King.
Mom says:
This one had a lot of build up for the mystery to be worked out really quickly at the end. Probably one of the weaker A-Z for us as far as story goes. But still fun.
I didn't really like it that much because it's sort of a good mystery but it doesn't have a lot of action.
My four-year-old son says:
I liked the Kidnapped King.
Mom says:
This one had a lot of build up for the mystery to be worked out really quickly at the end. Probably one of the weaker A-Z for us as far as story goes. But still fun.
August 9, 2020
When Dink discovers his new house guest, Sammi Bin Oz, is actually a prince in hiding because his parents have been kidnapped, Dink, Ruth Rose, Josh, and Josh's adopted dog Pal must now locate the prince, who himself has also been kidnapped from Dink's home.
May 20, 2023
I think this one has comparatively been my class' favorite all year. They were so into this one trying to figure out who was the kidnapper. Definitely one I will have to keep in permanent rotation going forward.
November 5, 2023
-- This is a series review. --
I love this series. The kids are solving real mysteries around their neighborhood (as opposed to their siblings), and they find out things that the adults couldn't.
-- End series review --
I love this series. The kids are solving real mysteries around their neighborhood (as opposed to their siblings), and they find out things that the adults couldn't.
-- End series review --
November 8, 2024
Another mystery Bode wishes he could give more than five stars to. Maybe 1,000 stars! Bode didn’t love that Sammi got kidnapped as it made him feel sad and angry at the kidnappers. But otherwise, this was an amazing book.
September 4, 2017
I love these books. The characters are so cute and the mysteries are pretty good too.
November 27, 2017
I would be so incredibly homesick. Especially at that age.
May 25, 2018
A bit of background: I hate royalty with a passion, but I enjoyed this book. I like the idea of a prince coming and experiencing real life with real people.
April 11, 2019
Delightful mystery for early chapter book readers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 124 reviews