Read Hardy Boys Clue Book 04 – Talent Show Tricks free for 7 days. £7.99/month after - less than a paperback.
Franklin W Dixon's Talent Show Tricks is the fourth Hardy Boys Clue Book, a school mystery for 7 year olds where somebody is out to wreck the big show.
Frank Hardy is nine and he's running things backstage. He has a binder of checklists, his own walkie-talkie and a crew to keep in order. His brother Joe is eight and he's in the show, juggling six orange balls (and grumbling about having to dance in the opening number).
Then Daniel steps into the spotlight, lifts his trumpet and blows as hard as he can. Out come soapy bubbles! In his trumpet case there's a note. This is only the beginning, it says, and it won't stop until the show is cancelled.
Who doesn't love a baddie with a joke-shop budget? The pranks get sillier as the week goes on, with a frog croaking where a song should be, scribbled posters and a hat full of green slime.
The boys do it properly, with their Five Ws notebook up in the secret tree house their dad built. There are good suspects too. Adam, the school bully, told everyone he hoped the show would be a disaster. Ezra is new, plays the violin and is dreading anyone finding out. And the croaking came through the sound desk, which is their best friend Chet's job.
The best bit comes just before the last chapter. The story stops and asks your reader who they think is behind it all, with a couple of questions about suspects and clues. Grab a pencil! It's a lovely way to get a young reader flicking back through the pages.
There's a sweet thread about Chet and his little sister Iola as well. They fall out over a game of kickball, and when her song goes wrong he's the one who wants to cheer her up.
If you've got a reader who likes to work it out before the detectives do, this is a great one to share. The chapters are short and it moves along nicely.
If they want to keep going, the next Clue Book is Scavenger Hunt Heist. Frank is nervous about a class trip to somewhere called Bear Park, and Joe does his very best to make it worse.
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