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Meg Mackintosh (A Solve-It-Yourself Mystery) #1
Meg Mackintosh and the Case of the Missing Babe Ruth Baseball - title #1: A Solve-It-Yourself Mystery (1)
In the book that launched her adventures, Meg follows a series of notes hidden in her grandfather's house to solve an old mystery of a missing baseball signed by Babe Ruth. The reader is challenged to interpret each clue before Meg solves it.
48 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
3 people are currently reading
106 people want to read
About the author
Lucinda Landon
29 books2 followersLucinda Landon lives in Foster, Rhode Island, with her husband, photographer Jim Egan, their sons, Alexander and Eric, and several pets. Their home was built in 1709 and has a hidden trap door to the basement and a secret hiding place behind the chimney. “It’s a great place to write mysteries,” says Ms. Landon, who is always working on the plot of a new one.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
February 9, 2019
I read this with my 9 year old daughter. It’s safe to say it was a huge hit. By the end of it, she had her own notebook and was taking notes on the mystery just like Meg. The clues that had to be followed had a nice range from easy to hard and in between. That range kept her working hard, but never discouraged. The use of the pictures to accentuate the detecting work was a big hit for her. Depending on the precociousness of your little one, this is a good book for kids from about 7-10. It is fun, while giving a workout to their observation skills and critical thinking.
My only criticism has to do with personal taste. The characters are very under developed, two-dimensional. The book isn’t really set up for anything different. Few kids will notice this and it doesn’t effect what the book it trying to do. It just means that if you asked them about Meg’s personality, hopes, or fears they won’t have an answer. (Compared with Harry Potter for example. Or even Ivy and Bean, or Junie B Jones.)
My only criticism has to do with personal taste. The characters are very under developed, two-dimensional. The book isn’t really set up for anything different. Few kids will notice this and it doesn’t effect what the book it trying to do. It just means that if you asked them about Meg’s personality, hopes, or fears they won’t have an answer. (Compared with Harry Potter for example. Or even Ivy and Bean, or Junie B Jones.)
May 15, 2023
Grade: 2-5
Genre: Fiction
If you aren't familiar with Meg Mackintosh's mysteries, you must read this! OR ANY in this series. This is a solve-it-yourself mystery that children will love! Meg's mysteries are clever enough that young children will need to tap into some critical thinking skills, but not so hard that kids can't solve them. Other faves in this series-- Medieval Castle, Whale Watch and Main Street. You can't go wrong with any of these!
Genre: Fiction
If you aren't familiar with Meg Mackintosh's mysteries, you must read this! OR ANY in this series. This is a solve-it-yourself mystery that children will love! Meg's mysteries are clever enough that young children will need to tap into some critical thinking skills, but not so hard that kids can't solve them. Other faves in this series-- Medieval Castle, Whale Watch and Main Street. You can't go wrong with any of these!
September 6, 2017
There weren't any chapters, however I feel as if the book was long enough to consider it transitional. I loved how the pictures were interactive with the store. It wasn't just to show what was going on, you actually had to read some of the pictures to further the story.
February 24, 2018
Baseball, a mystery, and Mother Goose rhymes—all in one story!
March 21, 2018
I’m not sure what time he woke up this morning, but Emerson had started and finished this book by 7am! A new mystery series where reader finds the clues.
library-priority
November 21, 20203 ebooks of this series
January 20, 2023
Great book for the reader who likes sports and a fast-moving adventure.
July 25, 2023
Fun and wholesome children mystery series!
April 6, 2024
Great book. Of you love solve it yourself mysteries, this is the first book in a series for you!
January 5, 2010
JT got the first 4 Meg books for Christmas. Besides the heroine having such a stellar name, the boys are really taken with the stories. We have cruised through the first 3 and we are dragging out the 4th since it is our last.
The general theme of each is that young Meg is faced with a mystery: a missing baseball, a missing treasure map, a stolen chalice, and a summer camp ghost. Through the illustrations and story the reader is given clues to help solve the mystery. Along the way, the reader is asked to help solve various pieces of the mystery before they turn the page. Each mini-solution helps the reader reach the final conclusion.
The illustrations and story lines are simple which is what made me think of originally giving this one a 3 star rating but I think simplicity is outweighed by the series ability to entertain young readers, engage both their listening and visual skills, and introduce them to a genre that most kids don't explore until later in their reading careers if at all.
The general theme of each is that young Meg is faced with a mystery: a missing baseball, a missing treasure map, a stolen chalice, and a summer camp ghost. Through the illustrations and story the reader is given clues to help solve the mystery. Along the way, the reader is asked to help solve various pieces of the mystery before they turn the page. Each mini-solution helps the reader reach the final conclusion.
The illustrations and story lines are simple which is what made me think of originally giving this one a 3 star rating but I think simplicity is outweighed by the series ability to entertain young readers, engage both their listening and visual skills, and introduce them to a genre that most kids don't explore until later in their reading careers if at all.
February 12, 2012
This is the first book we've read in the Meg Mackintosh (A Solve-It-Yourself Mystery) series by Lucinda Landon. The mystery was fairly simple to solve, but challenging enough to keep the interest of a grade school child. Our girls are in first and third grade and they loved the fact that they could figure out what most, if not all of the clues meant on their own. We really enjoyed reading this story together and we will certainly look for more of the books in this series at our local library.
November 13, 2013
This series is great to read with your children. It has your typical super-sleuth minded child like Cam Jansen or Encyclopedia Brown, but goes a step further. Throughout the book there are questions at the bottom of the page that have you think about the case. Oftentimes you have to use the pictures as well as the text to figure out the clues. When you turn the page the question is answered and the story continues. I have read them with both my 6 and 9 year old and both boys asked me to get the rest of the books in the series. That is a winner for me!
November 14, 2010
It was an awesome book! Meg Mackintosh wanted to solve a mystery and there was this boy that wanted to solve the mystery, but she didn't want him to solve the mystery. She solved it for her grandpa.
July 29, 2011
a good early reader mystery novel
February 16, 2012
It is very interesting. J.B.
January 2, 2016
I loved these books, I've read 1-8, I have 10, but not 9, so I haven't read 10, I'm waiting for 9. Lucinda Landon is great! I love to solve the mysteries!
November 13, 2013
good it was a school book i read it before so i new the answer
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews