Goofballs 01 – Crazy Case of Missing Thunder

Tony Abbott's Crazy Case of Missing Thunder is the first Goofballs mystery, a giggly detective story for 6 year olds about a pony that has vanished.

What happens

Jeff Bunter tells the story. He's the original Goofball, a private eye who writes everything down in a notebook he calls his cluebook. His friends are Brian, who invents gadgets that never quite work, Mara, who loves a disguise, and Kelly, who thinks almost everyone looks suspicious.

They've just solved a case about pizzas turning up all over town. Then the phone rings and a creaky old voice asks for the original Goofball. But the caller, Randall Crandall, turns out to be a boy their own age. His home is so enormous that a butler has to lead them through it, and the butler even does Randall's sneezing for him!

Randall's pony Thunder has gone missing. Thunder is scared of storms, loves flowers and was last seen on the morning of a big thunderstorm. There are petals all over the stable floor and small footprints outside. So who's been in there?

The puns come thick and fast (Kelly and Mara can't help themselves). The Goofballs dress up as bushes to spy in a flower shop and get sprayed with a hose. It's a proper mystery with clues your reader can follow along with Jeff, and they can try to beat him to the answer.

It's a gentle one, too. There's nothing frightening in it, just silliness and a lot of flowers getting eaten. If you've got a reader who wants a mystery without the scary bits, this is a great first step.

Jeff talks straight to you all the way through ("Maybe I'll tell you about it someday"), which makes it feel like you're one of the gang. The chapters are packed with daft jokes, and the answer turns out to be sillier than anyone expected.

What to read next

If they want another case with the same four, Startling Story of the Stolen Statue is the second Goofballs book. Badger Point School is turning a hundred, a statue of its first principal is about to be unveiled at the big party, and the Goofballs are sure they're about to be handed a mystery.