What do you think?
Tuckernuck #2
The Magician's Bird: A Hilarious Middle Grade Mystery Adventure with Magic and Suspense for Kids (Ages 8-12)
In this sequel to The Lost Treasure of Tuckernuck, Bud and Laurie solve another mystery at Tuckernuck Hall. This second hilarious installment is perfect for fans of From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Chasing Vermeer, The Westing Game, and the Mysterious Benedict Society books.
In The Magician's Bird, the mystery Bud and Laurie must solve is much more serious than a treasure hunt—their beloved school founder, Maria Tutweiler, has been accused of murdering Marchetti the Magician! Can Bud and Laurie—with the help of enthusiastic Misti and evil but useful Calliope—prove Maria Tutweiler's innocence? Or will Tuckernuck Hall be closed down for good?
Emily Fairlie once again blends lists, notes, and classic prose to tell a story that sings with humor, suspense, and magic.
Solving this case means diving into a world of secret passages, forgotten history, and a magical bird that holds the key.
A High-Stakes School When their school’s founder is accused of a decades-old murder, Laurie and Bud must prove her innocence or watch Tuckernuck Hall close its doors for good.Secret Passages and Hidden The investigation kicks off when Bud falls through a shed floor and discovers a secret room, a hidden tunnel system, and clues that Maria Tutweiler left behind.Unlikely To crack the case, they’ll have to team up with their enthusiastic friend Misti and their snooping arch-nemesis, the brilliant but untrustworthy Calliope Judkin.A Magical At the heart of the mystery is the legendary Marchetti Bird, a mechanical marvel that disappeared when the magician died—and is said to hold the key to the truth.
In The Magician's Bird, the mystery Bud and Laurie must solve is much more serious than a treasure hunt—their beloved school founder, Maria Tutweiler, has been accused of murdering Marchetti the Magician! Can Bud and Laurie—with the help of enthusiastic Misti and evil but useful Calliope—prove Maria Tutweiler's innocence? Or will Tuckernuck Hall be closed down for good?
Emily Fairlie once again blends lists, notes, and classic prose to tell a story that sings with humor, suspense, and magic.
Solving this case means diving into a world of secret passages, forgotten history, and a magical bird that holds the key.
A High-Stakes School When their school’s founder is accused of a decades-old murder, Laurie and Bud must prove her innocence or watch Tuckernuck Hall close its doors for good.Secret Passages and Hidden The investigation kicks off when Bud falls through a shed floor and discovers a secret room, a hidden tunnel system, and clues that Maria Tutweiler left behind.Unlikely To crack the case, they’ll have to team up with their enthusiastic friend Misti and their snooping arch-nemesis, the brilliant but untrustworthy Calliope Judkin.A Magical At the heart of the mystery is the legendary Marchetti Bird, a mechanical marvel that disappeared when the magician died—and is said to hold the key to the truth.
288 pages, Paperback
First published September 24, 2013
About the author
Emily Fairlie
2 books11 followersEmily Fairlie grew up in Virginia and went to Tuckahoe Middle School, which unlike Tuckernuck Hall was sadly lacking in hidden clues and treasure. She was also the proud owner of a family of gerbil escape artists with a taste for blood (and sunflower seeds). She now lives in Charlottesville with her dog Binky.
Pseudonym for author Emily Ecton
Pseudonym for author Emily Ecton
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
September 3, 2013
This book was won by me through Goodreads.
Magician"s Bird Tuckernuck , Mystery by Emily Fairlie
This book is great for the young that can read but I enjoyed it greatly myself reminding me of mystery books I read wheniI was young but this book is very much updated.You just have to love these kids I laughted at them and cheered for them and was scared for them which makes a good book.
I love the way the author writes this book adding cute memos to there self ( If caught doing this !. ETC or 2 do this or 3 try that) . The three mystery sloving students and some of there friends. The year before saved there school by solveing a mystery scanverage hunt which had not been solved years many years and found treasury. This year Mr Leffranco is going to see to it the school gets torn down one way or the other. So Bud, Laurie and Misti must stop him and prove there school was not much years earlier been run by a murderer and bootlegger. So the kids stumble across a seceret room ans a shiny bird and with the aid of a few others save the school once again.
Magician"s Bird Tuckernuck , Mystery by Emily Fairlie
This book is great for the young that can read but I enjoyed it greatly myself reminding me of mystery books I read wheniI was young but this book is very much updated.You just have to love these kids I laughted at them and cheered for them and was scared for them which makes a good book.
I love the way the author writes this book adding cute memos to there self ( If caught doing this !. ETC or 2 do this or 3 try that) . The three mystery sloving students and some of there friends. The year before saved there school by solveing a mystery scanverage hunt which had not been solved years many years and found treasury. This year Mr Leffranco is going to see to it the school gets torn down one way or the other. So Bud, Laurie and Misti must stop him and prove there school was not much years earlier been run by a murderer and bootlegger. So the kids stumble across a seceret room ans a shiny bird and with the aid of a few others save the school once again.
June 14, 2017
A cute story, good young adult read.
August 26, 2022
This was an adequate kids' mystery book.
Read
July 5, 2021
Trigger & Content Warnings
Smoking mentioned
Murder recounted
Smoking mentioned
Murder recounted
September 13, 2013
Hooray! My second review for School Library Journal has been published. They seem to take quite a while to publish them-I submitted this one in September and I'm already working on my fifth review right now.
I know it's kind of stupid, because only librarians, publishers, and maaaaybe some teachers read SLJ, but I have to admit that it's pretty cool to see my name in print, and especially to see myself blurbed on the B&N, Amazon and even the author's website. I actually found out that this one was published because my co-worker (who also started reviewing for SLJ) found me in there and called me up. For once, I do think that the review speaks for itself, and I don't need to add too much to it, but I will add a bit of background. I worked on this while I was in Japan. I meant to finish it before I left, but they only give you a month to read and review the book, which SHOULD be plenty of time, but in this case I wanted to read the first book, The Lost Treasure of Tuckernuck, so that I could really be able to compare. I found that this one was an improvement. It's not going to win any awards or anything, and there are other mysteries I'd recommend over this, but it was still pretty good.
I know it's kind of stupid, because only librarians, publishers, and maaaaybe some teachers read SLJ, but I have to admit that it's pretty cool to see my name in print, and especially to see myself blurbed on the B&N, Amazon and even the author's website. I actually found out that this one was published because my co-worker (who also started reviewing for SLJ) found me in there and called me up. For once, I do think that the review speaks for itself, and I don't need to add too much to it, but I will add a bit of background. I worked on this while I was in Japan. I meant to finish it before I left, but they only give you a month to read and review the book, which SHOULD be plenty of time, but in this case I wanted to read the first book, The Lost Treasure of Tuckernuck, so that I could really be able to compare. I found that this one was an improvement. It's not going to win any awards or anything, and there are other mysteries I'd recommend over this, but it was still pretty good.
Gr 4–7—In this follow-up to The Lost Treasure of Tuckernuck (HarperCollins, 2012), seventh-graders Laurie Madison and Bud Wallace uncover a new mystery surrounding their school's founder. Once again, Tuckernuck Hall is in danger of shutting its doors, this time due to a local news article alleging Maria Tutweiler's involvement in the decades-old murder of Marchetti the Magician. Bud and Laurie are joined by their friend Misti and a questionable ally, Calliope Judkin, who is useful but might have ulterior motives. Can these middle schoolers save the founder's—and Tuckernuck Hall's—reputation, or will the Tuckernuck Clucker soon go the way of the dodo? Fairlie improves upon the pacing of the first book, creating a worthy sequel that can also function as a stand-alone novel. Lighthearted mystery and humor are sustained throughout. Like the earlier title, this one is told from Bud's and Laurie's third-person perspectives, switching back and forth sometimes on the same page. Bud, Laurie, Misti, and Calliope are more fully developed here, but the adult characters remain just as exaggerated and purposefully kooky, emphasizing the exasperation and embarrassment that tweens often feel about authority figures. Just the right sprinkling of notes, lists ("How to Keep Your Archnemesis from Noticing That Your Friend Has Just Fallen Through a Hole in the Floor"), emails, and illustrations break up the text and will keep reluctant readers engaged. Perfect for mystery fans looking for a healthy dose of adventure and fun.—Jessica Ko, Los Angeles Public Library
September 3, 2013
I won this book in a goodreads Firstreads drawing.
A fairly good children's mystery set in a private school.
Three kids trying to conduct a scavenger hunt find a secret room under a shed. This propels them into a mystery about the disappearance of a magician during the 1920's.
A little simplistic, but probably good for kids about eight or nine years old. I thought the constant messages, lists, and emails were a little over the top, but kids today might enjoy them.
A fairly good children's mystery set in a private school.
Three kids trying to conduct a scavenger hunt find a secret room under a shed. This propels them into a mystery about the disappearance of a magician during the 1920's.
A little simplistic, but probably good for kids about eight or nine years old. I thought the constant messages, lists, and emails were a little over the top, but kids today might enjoy them.
December 15, 2015
I think this is a great book for young teens. It has a great format, interesting dialogue. I just got bored reading it. There was too much repetitive conversation for me. It would actually make a cute kids mini series for TV. Bud and Laurie return to solve another Tuckernuck school mystery. There are clues, notes to self, a treasure hunt, a mystery to solve. The other characters in the story are amusing.
October 16, 2016
I read this book aloud to my class after we finished reading The Lost Treasure of Tuckernuck. I liked the first book better, but several of my students preferred this book. Good, reliable characters; fun to get to know Misti and Calliope better in this book. Fun references to things that happened in the first book, good mystery, good clues, good cliffhangers. My students really enjoyed listening to this book. They were asking about a third one!
August 2, 2021
It's fun though, all that beautiful journey of saving Tuckernuck and Maria Tutwieler's name. It really felt real, i feel that i was on that beautiful journey. I can feel the presence of Laurie, Bud, Calliope, Misti, Betty, Princi'PAL' Winkle, Candy, Olivia, etc. When they we're talking, or discuss, i can hear all of their voices. What a great adventure!
August 10, 2013
Loved this! These books always make me laugh, Misty is my favourite character in the book, although I did love Ms. Lucielle too. Ponch & Jon are always funny character, and I'm glad they were in this book too (no matter how little we saw them)
September 3, 2013
A great read for the young and young at heart. If you love a good mystery, then this is the book for you. It's filled with humor and outrageous fun. A great mystery!!!
April 21, 2015
Not as many clues to follow in this mystery, still a fun read.
April 26, 2015
This book was really good! I didn't read the first one but I still understood the plot easily!
arc-review-to-read
August 7, 2013Information post: http://creativemadnessmama.com/blog/2...
September 6, 2013
Fun little story like the first one. Totally clean.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews