Calendar Mysteries January through June

Rob Roy has begun a new Calendar Mysteries series starring younger siblings of the three third grade sleuths in his popular A-Z Mysteries series. These new mysteries are for first and second graders who are just getting into early chapter books. In //January Joker//, strange noises in the night and a bright light wake Brian and Bradley Pinto, Nate Hathaway, and Lucy Armstrong. Venturing into the backyard, they see two little green creatures that disappear when the light suddenly goes out. The next day, pets vanish; faces appear in the window; a mysterious phone call comes from outer space. Have aliens really kidnapped Josh, Dink, and Ruth Rose? Did they eat Pal and Polly? This is a story that gets funnier with each chapter, as the friends decide to negotiate with the aliens and get their siblings and pets back. All isn't over for the aliens, even after the mystery is solved: The four young sleuths get to have their own revenge. Reviewed by Elizabeth Varadan