The Case of the Missing Museum Archives

Museum Mysteries #2

by Steve Brezenoff, Lisa K. Weber (Illustrations)

When the plans for the prototype of a failed flying machine go missing from the Air and Space Museum's archives, Amal's father, the assistant archivist, is blamed. No one suspects a crime has been committed - except Amal and her friends. With her father's job on the line, it's up to them to track down the missing plans and get to the bottom of the museum mystery.

Genres: Mystery, Childrens, Middle Grade, Chapter Books

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2015

About the author

Steve Brezenoff is the author of the young adult novels The Absolute Value of -1 and Brooklyn, Burning, and his third, Guy In Real Life, will be released in 2014. He has also written dozens of chapter books for younger readers. Though Steve grew up in a suburb on Long Island, he now lives with his wife and their son in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Reviews

[Saba N Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read with a diverse cast of characters. I just wish Amal had been given the opportunity to actually solve the case. Clementine seemed to take charge of the story about halfway through. It is still a good read for beginner chapter book readers.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fine, but a bit disappointing compared to the first book. The solution seemed obvious (to me) from the beginning: they never attempt to explain seeing Dr. Heinfeld walking away from the archives when she's supposed to be elsewhere but go off following other theories instead (and no other characters are introduced who the woman-walking-away could have been), and the fact that "the boss did it" is the explanation for two books in a row felt like a lack of creativity, even if it was for different reasons. My son was somewhat interested in the mystery but had trouble getting invested either in the missing plans or in the threat of Dr. Farah losing his job — he was much more engaged with uncovering the "ghost" in the first book. I'm interested to see how the next book in the series is.

[Jennybeast · Rating 4 out of 5]

While there's nothing particularly earth-shattering about the plot of this little mystery, the diverse cast of kids is wildly appealing, as well as the strong STEAM themes throughout. Not least, a very thorough message to not leap to conclusions about people, but to give them a chance.

[Monica Hocking · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me am liking these books! You no haved read them in any certain order! Also you pick-up tidbits of history here and there through-out book.

[Karen Broughton · Rating 4 out of 5]

a great read, lovely light and informative on the museums artefacts. Would highly recommend to primary age school.

[Sarah Riessen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A just okay children’s mystery book. I wish the main character was written stronger, but overall didn’t dislike the book for upper elementary.

[Tibby]

I bought and read three of these little mysteries. It’s such a tricky balance to strike in these early chapter books, trying to get enough story and character in there that it’s well written without making it too complex and long for kids who are just beginning to read. I personally am fine with books that lack a bit in an involved mystery and character development. I know kids who read these types of stories and enjoy them. I also happened to be one of those kids. I think these mysteries really do a good job of striking that balance. The diversity in ethnicity of the kids comes off as a little shallow, but I think for this type of books it’s just fine. Kids in my library are just happy to see themselves on the cover and read about a kid that they can picture looking like them.

Book number two (the one pictured at the left) is especially important right now. It’s a girl in a hijab who is not a terrorist. She also happens to love space travel and math. STEM girl for the win. The story is wee bit far fetched as the father is about to be fired for something that he didn’t do and the evidence that he lost some important documents is shaky at best. But the characters are likable and the story is fun if you put aside your grown up sensibilities.

When I bought these there were only four that I found on Amazon. On Goodreads it appears there are a few more that feature the same kids in new mysteries which if you have a population that likes mysteries I highly recommend getting. The original Nate the Great was pretty easy, but some of the later chapter books he is in get a lot longer and more wordy. I would say these could replace those longer Nate the Greats of be a place to move to afterward.

I highly recommend these for beginning chapter book collections. They’re a fun introduction to mystery novels and they feature a diverse cast of characters.

[Carolyn Wilhelm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is in the Museum Mysteries series, and is set in Capitol City. There are four friends who work together to solve the mystery and help someone who was unfairly blamed for a theft. Amal is the Somali female protagonist and she is 11. Her American Indian friend, Raining, is interested in Ojibwe culture. All the friends are associated with the museums in the city which provides many teachable moments throughout the stories. The other friends are Clementine who is 13 and love art, while Wilson Kipper is 10 and is interested in dinosaurs. Learning abounds in this series of books. This book is set in the Air and Space Museum, so facts about astronauts and historical space events are included.
This book was given to me for Multicultural Children's Book Day 2016 and is being donated to a Minnesota school.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ellie Ultra, Museum Mysteries: The Case of the Missing Museum Archives, and Dear Molly, Dear Olive: Molly Meets Trouble are all 125 pages or less, short chapter books aimed at third to fifth grade readers, all published by divisions of Capstone. Ellie Ultra is the first in a series of short chapter books about a third-grade girl who has super powers, but finds she has to suppress them in order to fit into an ordinary school. In The Case of the Missing Museum Archives, Amal and her friends must try to find the missing plans for a prototype of a failed flying machine before Amal's father is blamed for the loss. Molly Meets Trouble is the story of Molly who just can't seem to get along with someone at school. It really makes Molly miss her friend Olive. All three stories feature diverse characters.

[KP · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed by this second book the series. While I thought the first one was cutesy without any substance, it at least had a mystery that made some logical sense. But instead, the villain of this piece is very Scooby-Dooish, and we never understand WHY they did what they did- there didn't seem to be any real benefit for them. I was also disappointed because Amal, the POV character for this book, didn't actually STAY the POV character- halfway through it switched to Clementine. I was so excited to read a kid's book with a Somali girl in the lead (since Wilson remained the POV character throughout in the first book), but her book ended up being split. This ended up dropping my rating somewhat.

Also, I'm beginning to feel bad for Ruthie.

[Aimee Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read for 3rd-5th graders who like mysteries. Fast-paced (takes place over the span of one day), but not a ton of depth to the story. Third graders in my book club really enjoyed it, but as an educator I didn't find a ton of substance to the plot. However, it would be a good mystery to use if you wanted a quick read to use as a tool for identifying elements of mystery stories.

[Tracie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amal's father works at the Air and Space Museum and is accused of misplacing or taking some important papers. His job is at stake and Amal and her friends decide it's up to them to solve the mystery.

[Felicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good beginner chapter book. About four friends that solve a mystery set in a museum in Capital City. A great diverse group of kids.

[Ellison · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Nancy Drew's dad is accused of losing a useless Nazi-era plan design she puts on her hijab and calls in Fred, Velma, Daphne, and Shaggy as they resort to illegal search and seizer and profiling in an effort to locate the artifact. Includes color illustrations.

[M.M. Hudson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Museum Mysteries: The Case of the Missing Archives is a truly fun elementary age chapter book.
I was interested in this book as I love museums and a good mystery too. Combine them together and this is what you have for this second book in a series. I only wished that I had read the first book. It is obvious that these series are stand alone books which give a mystery for each of four young sleuths.

This time it is featuring Amal and her father's museum. The children seem to find a mystery without even trying. Learning to work as a team, use deduction, and figuring out steps is what this is all about. They work together well and solve the case. I liked that the book concluded with consequences for the person who did the crime and did not wrap the book up in a tidy bow.

The book is also about being friends and enjoying each other's differences even though they come from different cultural backgrounds. I loved that!

The few illustrations in the book enhanced the already good writing. Included in the back of the book are discussion questions, a glossary, and information on the Air and Space programs and museum.

Overall, a great little chapter book that I give 4 stars.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for free. The views expressed here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~M.M. aka Naila Moon