What's the Name of That Book??? discussion

I read this book in Junior High, so would be 1976-78 from the school library. I remember the main character was a pre-teen/teen detective, and he was trying to locate a stolen 1933 Double Eagle coin, and the thing I remember was he proved it was the correct coin by accurately measuring the weight and/or specific gravity (can't remember which) of the coin to prove it was real. Also, something about a mansion and a sea cave, and even a tunnel between the two. Loved the book when I was young, but cannot remember much about the title or author. I just remember it was one of those middle grade "pulp" novels that the library was full of, and I have been looking for it with internet searches for several years hoping something will stir my memory. For some reason, I also believe the title was kind of a cutesy pun of some sort, or just a weird, long title in the nature of "The lion, the witch and the wardrobe", which is why I picked up the book in the first place.

sounds like something from the Jigsaw Jones series.

Unfortunately, those books came out 20+ years later. I don't remember exactly, but I would guess that the book was 150-250 pages long, and definitely at the middle-grade level.

Could it be one of the Encyclopedia Brown novels?

Definitely not Encyclopedia Brown. I read all of those in 3rd-4th grade, so I was not reading them in Junior High. It was definitely a mystery novel, and I don't believe it was a series book (although I could be wrong).

Long shot: There's a cave under/by a lake in "The Mad Scientists' Club" and "The New Adventures of the Mad Scientists' Club" by Bertrand Brinley. They solve mysteries and I think there is a tunnel from their clubhouse, but it has been awhile since I read them.

The Case of the Counterfeit Coin?

Nachelle wrote: "Long shot: There's a cave under/by a lake in "The Mad Scientists' Club" and "The New Adventures of the Mad Scientists' Club" by Bertrand Brinley. They solve mysteries and I think there is a tunnel ..." Looked through the list of titles, and none sound familiar. Thanks for the thought, though.

Rainbowheart wrote: "The Case of the Counterfeit Coin?" - You may be on to something. This looks very familiar, and it is definitely the right time period. I also had a sneaky suspicion that one of the detectives was called "Brain", but I thought I was confusing it with The Great Brain series which I know I read about the same time. I am going to try and locate a copy of this book and see if it is the one I was thinking of. I will post an update if this is correct.

Do you remember if it is a pair or group of kid detectives working together or someone working alone? Boys or girls?

Rainbowheart wrote: "The Case of the Counterfeit Coin?" Well, I dug a little deeper, and unfortunately, I don't think The Case of the Counterfeit Coin is correct. According to Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brains_...) - this book is about an ancient Greek coin, and I am definitely sure they were dealing with a 1933 Double Eagle. I am going to try and read the book if I can find a copy though, because it does look interesting.

Natasha wrote: "Do you remember if it is a pair or group of kid detectives working together or someone working alone? Boys or girls?" I believe it was a group (I believe three) of boys, and their leader was super smart, which I know is a common theme in most of these types of books. The smart one was the one who knew all about the coin's history and solved the crime.

Yeah, the other Brains Benton books don't look too likely.

Maybe something in The Three Investigators series?

https://www.goodreads.com/series/42203

Rainbowheart wrote: "Yeah, the other Brains Benton books don't look too likely.

Maybe something in The Three Investigators series?

https://www.goodreads.com/series/42203"
I don't think I read any of the Three Investigators books. I looked through all the titles before 1979, and none of them seem to fit. I'm not really sure if it was a series book. I don't remember it being in a series, since I really loved the book, and if it was a series, I probably would have read other books in the series. I loved series books at the time, so I think it was just a stand-alone novel.

Left Hand Wood?

The Ghost of Crabtree Hall?

Mystery of the Castle Coins?

The last two are definitely not it, since the characters in the book I remember were boys, so it can't be The Ghost of Crabtree Hall, and I know it wasn't a castle, so it can't be The Ghost of Crabtree Hall. I am intrigued by Left Hand Wood, and managed to find a cheap copy of it online, so I will read it and see. The funny thing is, that even if I don't find the book I remember, you have given me some good recommendations that sound like good reading.

Glad to help out! Fingers crossed it's the right book. If not, let us know, and we'll definitely keep searching.

I know this one - I think!

It's Sinbad And Me, by Kin Platt. There's a sequel, called the Mystery Of The Witch Who Wouldn't, which may give you the title pun you were looking for.

There isn't a 1933 Double Eagle, but there is a 1794, 1849, and a 1804 silver dollar, among other coins.

There's a mention of the weight of the coin and specific gravity, but it's mainly through his friend's photographic memory that he proves that some of the coins are real.

But there is a sea tunnel called the Jonah Jaws that leads to a cave into Captain Billy's castle.

The protagonist is called Steve and his bulldog Sinbad, he has a friend called Herkie who's a genius, there's his friend Miranda and her dad is Sheriff Landry, and then there's old Mrs. Teska. He also loves architecture.

Gosh, I loved these books!

Here's the Google Books preview of Sinbad and Me by Kin Platt - Sarah's suggestion:

https://books.google.com/books?id=1HX... There are different cover images.

Sarah wrote: "I know this one - I think!

It's Sinbad And Me, by Kin Platt. There's a sequel, called the Mystery Of The Witch Who Wouldn't, which may give you the ti..."
Sarah - the title doesn't sound familiar, but the plot does. It is entirely possible that I am mixing up a couple (or more) stories I read, since I have always read a lot, and sometimes plot lines get jumbled. I took a look at the Google preview from Kris, and it does sound vaguely familiar. I managed to find a copy at my local library, which I am going to read, since it sounds a lot like what I remembered. I will let you know

Ed wrote: "Sarah wrote: "I know this one - I think!

It's Sinbad And Me, by Kin Platt. There's a sequel, called the Mystery Of The Witch Who Wouldn't, which may g..."
I got Sinbad and Me from the library today, and even though I am only 10 pages into it, I am pretty sure this is the right book. There are so many familiar things about it that I had forgotten, and I keep finding things I had forgotten about, like the kid's love of architecture. When I finish the book, which should be in the next couple of days, I will know for sure.

That's wonderful, Ed! Also, when I was looking online at the author this weekend, I found out there was another book in the series, and was able to take it out through Open Library and read it. Now I'll have to reread the rest of them. :)

Sarah wrote: "That's wonderful, Ed! Also, when I was looking online at the author this weekend, I found out there was another book in the series, and was able to take it out through Open Library and read it. Now..."

Sarah - THANK YOU SO MUCH. I just finished the book, and it is indeed Sinbad and Me by Kin Platt. As I read the book, I kept finding other parts that I remembered, but I wasn't 100% sure until I got to the ending. Once I read the ending, it was definitely the book I read in Junior High.

I think the two points of confusion I had were that I remembered the Double Eagle coin, but I got the date mixed up with the 1933 Double Eagle that I read about somewhere else. In reading the book, I also figured out why I thought the book had a cutesy pun, because I was remembering two of the chapters from the book. The first was Chapter 5 - "How to Tell a Bank From a Pineapple", and the other was Chapter 9 - "The Plot Sickens".

I have been trying to find this book for over 20 years, and I have done lots of internet searches, but was never able to find it. I am very happy now, and want to read the other books in this series to see if I remember them as well.