A to Z Mysteries – The Quicksand Question

A whole town's savings for its ducks vanish overnight in The Quicksand Question, Ron Roy's mystery for 5 year olds.

What happens

For years the mother ducks of Green Lawn have led their ducklings across busy River Road. So the town has been filling a giant see-through plastic duck at the fire station with coins. When it's full, the high school kids will build a little bridge just for ducks.

It's a sleep-over in Josh's barn for Dink, Josh and Ruth Rose, and they're counting out their own savings for the duck bank. At one in the morning there's a fire in the meadow. By breakfast the duck bank has gone from the fire station!

Was the fire set to get the firefighters out of the way? An old man walking his dog saw a jeep racing past in the night. He says the passenger looked like a giant duck. (Josh works out what he really saw straight away.)

From there the clues are just right for this age. A half-burned bit of wood with a few letters stamped on it. A big man with ears like mushrooms. A rowboat on the river, and a stranger poking about in the water with an oar.

There are some very funny bits on the way. The first "theft" of the book turns out to be Josh's twin brothers, who've found the friends' money in the barn and decided it's pirate treasure (they've eaten all of Josh's cookies too).

Worth knowing before you hand it over

Near the end Josh and Dink wade into the river and get stuck in quicksand up to their knees. Dink remembers to lie back and float, and two firefighters pull them out with a ladder. It's tense for a few pages and everyone is fine. Josh's verdict afterwards is that he's never taking a bath again!

If your reader loves animals, this one has a really kind heart. Who wouldn't want to help a line of fluffy ducklings cross the road safely?

The friendships are lovely too. Josh's little brothers and Ruth Rose's brother Nate all make an appearance, and the three friends tease each other without ever being mean.

What to read next

If they're keen to go further afield next time, The Runaway Racehorse takes the friends to New York to cheer on an unbeaten racehorse, only for him to disappear from his stall the day before.