Who Really Killed Cock Robin?

Ecological Mysteries #1

by Jean Craighead George

With an intriguing mystery, a timely message about protecting the environment, and Jean Craighead George’s award-winning, accessible writing, Who Really Killed Cock Robin is the perfect eco mystery kids—and educators—are sure to love. Citizens of Saddleboro are mourning the mysterious death of their beloved mascot, Cock Robin. Tony suspects there’s more to the story than people assume. The truth must be hidden in the The town park is overrun with trillions of ants; nights are quiet because the frogs stopped singing; the nearby river contains a dangerous amount of an unknown chemical; and the town dump is emitting strange fumes. What does it all add up to? There’s a story here, and it’s up to Tony to figure out who really killed Cock Robin.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Childrens, Young Adult, Animals, Realistic Fiction, Mystery Thriller

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

Jean Craighead George wrote over eighty popular books for young adults, including the Newbery Medal-winning Julie of the Wolves and the Newbery Honor book My Side of the Mountain. Most of her books deal with topics related to the environment and the natural world. While she mostly wrote children's fiction, she also wrote at least two guides to cooking with wild foods, and an autobiography, Journey Inward.

The mother of three children, (Twig C. George, Craig, and T. Luke George) Jean George was a grandmother who joyfully read to her grandchildren since the time they were born. Over the years Jean George kept one hundred and seventy-three pets, not including dogs and cats, in her home in Chappaqua, New York. "Most of these wild animals depart in autumn when the sun changes their behaviour and they feel the urge to migrate or go off alone. While they are with us, however, they become characters in my books, articles, and stories."

Reviews

[Madison · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.75

I had no idea this book even existed and would have never read this book if its card catalog page wasn't sent to me attached to a postcard from a library in Seattle.

Long story short, I'm a librarian from MO and we have been dealing with issues of what materials should be available in libraries...its been annoying having grown ass adults complain about books they probably had no idea even existed until some Karen decided to cry about it....
don't get me started on this....

anyways... some librarians from Seattle sent out old card catalog tags from previous banned books attached to postcards telling us to hang in there and Nolite Te Bastardes Carborundorum! aka don't let those bastards get you down.
I thought that was so awesome and wholesome that someone from across the country thought to send us messages of encouragement. Anyways, the book that was on the back of our branch's postcard was this book, Who Really Killed Cock Robin?

No offense to Jean Craighead George but if this book was banned for anything I would go with not very interesting book... loved the message behind the story but at the end of the day not a book I would pick up otherwise. Anyways, I felt that I had to at least read this book that was banned for being "porn" material..... ya know, because the name of a bird.... Cock Robin.... totally means porno.
Glad I read it as my own little way of "sticking it to the man" but overall not the best book lol

[Book2Dragon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Jean Craighead George's books. I was, however, lukewarm on this one. Not her fault or the books. I just expected more after reading "Julie and the Wolves" and others.
Nonetheless it is a good introduction to ecology and environmentalism, and a look into the real world and how it works.
YA and adult may enjoy.

[Violet Lemay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved this book as a girl, so much that I tracked it down 40-ish years later. The mystery of "Who Really Killed Cock Robin?" continues to compel, and the heart of the detective continues to inspire.

[azade]

ترجمه لیلا شمس دوست نازنینم

[Threegirlsandabook · Rating 1 out of 5]

Basically a Science Text book in Disguise, enough said.

[Graham · Rating 1 out of 5]

this was the worst book I have ever had the pain of reading. Every chapter brings new pain and agony onto the poor reader. This book is terribly boring and stupid. Should be declared a war crime

[christinE · Rating 1 out of 5]

If it was possible to give negative stars, that's where I'd put this book.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book that has been on my mind for nearly three decades. Why? Because my fourth-grade teacher once read us the first few pages, decided it was too advanced for our class, and switched to another book. For years, I wondered what Who Really Killed Cock Robin? was actually about. At 39 years old, I finally checked it out of the library to find out.

It’s a great read for older grade-school and middle-school students; definitely what I’d call a “teaching” book. Where some stories weave in facts here and there, this one leans into them, layering ecological, biological, and environmental lessons into every chapter. It’s easy to imagine an eager young reader telling their parents everything they’ve just learned about marsh hawks, food chains, and the chemicals that quietly shape our environment.

Written in 1971, the book carries a clear environmental and conservation message that still feels relevant more than fifty years later. Even if you’re not a scientist or birdwatcher, the story is engaging, and the science is presented in a way that enlightens rather than lectures. I’m glad I finally went back and finished it. It felt like closing a small loop from childhood.

[Mara Vetters · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up on a whim, mostly for the mystery description, and was halfway through it before I thought to check the author and recognized Jean Craighead George. I really enjoyed it. This is not the most thrilling of stories. There is a big emphasis on info-dumping lots of information about environmental impacts and the habits and behaviors of animals in general and robins in particular. You can definitely tell that this book was a product of and response to its time. However, I felt that the choice and handling of the narrator character served this purpose perfectly, and I felt like the very matter-of-fact and analytical tone helped paint a picture of Tony's personality and thought process that helped carry the weight of the information the book was giving. Also, I found the mayor's earnest but uninformed narration of the robin nesting process very amusing.
I certainly wouldn't call this Jean Craighead George's best work, but it has its own charm, and I found the mystery aspect an unusual but satisfying blend of genres.

[Tilia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just finished reading this YA/middle grade ecological mystery from the early 1970s. Cock Robin, a avian celebrity in the town of Saddleboro, is found dead; but who, or more precisely what, killed him? This book came out less than a decade after Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, the book that showed the adverse effects of chemicals on the environment, especially birds, and led to to a nation-wide ban on DDT and the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency. Jean Craighead George was no stranger to environmental writing; she is also the author of My Side of the Mountain and Julie of the Wolves, to name but two of her best-known books. Cock Robin isn't quite in their league--it lacks the urgency and suspense of a wilderness survival story, for one thing--but it is a thoughtful, well-plotted detective story, and leads us along nicely as the students of Saddleboro put together the pieces of the puzzle that reveals the cause of one bird's death and an entire countryside's decline.

[Jonah Senft · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a mystery book about a town that is pushing towards being better for the environment adopts a Robin as a mascot but suddenly he dies out of nowhere and John was given a task from the mayor to find out who killed him.

[Karen Hoyt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jean Craighead George is such a great writer and her books never disappoint. This will be a great inclusion when we are studying ecology and even though it is older and about DDT and PCBs the themes are always relevant.

[Danielle Woolard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I like the idea of an ecological mystery better than I like actually reading it. I might have liked this book a lot better if I had read it as a child, as intended. I like it fine as an adult, but I probably won't spend the time for a reread later. Once was enough.

[Jonah · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK... not great

[Tyler · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't get the point of the book. This whole town got really mad because a bird died. The entire book was about a kid looking at chemical when a different animal just killed it.

[Annamarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Silent Spring for kids. Learning about how ecology is connected

[Meagan & Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

10 out of 10 I love birds

[Marianne Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clever way to teach science, investigation, and ecological awareness to young people. I found this copy in a university library. I sure hope this book is on the shelves of school libraries.

[Ginger Poulsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, that was an interesting premise for a book - some kids and a college student use science to figure out why a bird died and in the process educate the town on pollutants.

[Joshua Ripkin]

Did not read yet

[Cynthia · Rating 3 out of 5]

My response to this novel is that, Tony the protagonist of this novel was trying to find the source of poison that killed the cock robin. He discovered that many people dumped toxic waste into the water or even spray or burn certain things that releases harmful chemicals into the air and into the water as well. However, Tony began to analyze what caused the death of the Cock Robin and the mother and one baby. However, lab test shows that chemicalls were discovered in the robins.
Each time Tony discovers a new clue he would continue to move on and gather more information to actually form his conclusion on the death of the robins. Upon reaching the conclusion, Tony found new ways to actually experiment and test out each given information that people believed was the caused of the death of the robins. With trial and error, Tony was able to figure out the real element of the killer and who is it.
As for you, if you want to know who killed the Cock Robin and his family read this novel.

[Robina Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent little mystery, with clues, red herrings, and a bunch of suspects. I liked the blustering, well-meaning mayor, who was making political capital out of the pair of robins who had nested in his hat; the earnest Tony, who makes careful observations and doesn't jump to conclusions; and the feisty daughter of the local industrialist, convinced of her father's innocence in the matter. I liked the town too, so proud of its environmental initiatives. And the message of the book - that all nature is tied together and we have to understand it all to avoid blundering - is one I wish more people would take to heart.

[Maelee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This eco-mystery was very interesting and it has a sound plot and I enjoyed reading it. However, it would be for a specialized reader who is a strong reader and has an interest in ecology and the health of the environment. The biological descriptions and explanations may inhibit lower readers.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love her books, but I think her eco-mysteries are going to be the most sought-after ones for our kids. There is a mystery to solve, lots of red herrings, plus this one connects right to living in suburbia. Lots to learn about environmental impacts of our daily decisions in this one.

[Samantha Glasser · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book in 5th grade English class, and while I enjoyed it, I was never ahead of the protagonist enough to guess what the culprit was. The plot is tied to environmental issues and tries to teach kids the importance of taking care of nature.

[Faye]

Good book for middle school
Teaches ecology, politics, and environmental issues

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent book. Introduces evironmentalism in a way that is easy for kids to understand.

[Mrs. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book when I was 8 or 9 and I remember loving it.

[Cian · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is about a bird named Cock Robin who is killed. The book is called an "eco mystery". Cock Robin is killed by some kind of pollution but I won't tell you which kind.

[Debbie]

8th grader Tony Isadoro follows a trail of environmental clues to find out what killed the robin