A to Z Mysteries – The Deadly Dungeon

Ron Roy's The Deadly Dungeon is a spooky castle mystery for 5 year olds with screams in the walls and a secret under the floor.

What happens

Dink, Josh and Ruth Rose take the bus all the way to Maine to stay with Wallis Wallace. She's a famous mystery writer, and she lives in a real castle called Moose Manor. There's a moat (planted with flowers), a drawbridge and a chandelier as big as a car!

There are also screams. Wallis says it's the ghost of Emory Scott, the film star who built the place and died there. Of course nobody believes in ghosts. Then something shrieks from the castle while they're setting out a picnic.

Is it really a ghost? Josh is sure there's a secret dungeon somewhere. Dink keeps finding bright green feathers in odd places (stuck to Josh's trainer, then on a boat). And who's creeping round the woods with a torch at midnight?

The holiday bits are a treat as well. There's a beach picnic, a cave full of bats and a 4.30am trip out lobster fishing with Wallis's brother Walker. Holding a lobster that's waving its claws at you is a VERY big deal.

The friends start to suspect someone they really like, and they don't all agree. Ruth Rose won't hear a word against him. That's a lovely bit to talk about with your reader. How do you know who to trust?

A heads-up for the second half. The three of them get shut in an underground tunnel just as the tide is coming in. They have to wade out through a pitch-dark sea cave with the water up to their chests, carrying something precious with them. They keep calm and get out safely, but it's properly tense. If your reader doesn't love the dark or small spaces, those pages are good ones to share.

For most kids it'll be the best bit. Ruth Rose even has a clever trick for turning wet jeans into floats!

What to read next

If the castle goes down well, The Empty Envelope brings them home to Green Lawn, where Dink keeps getting letters that are meant for somebody else.