Hardy Boys Secret Files 03 – Mystery Map

Franklin W Dixon's Mystery Map is a treasure-hunt mystery for 7 year olds that starts with a muddy burger wrapper.

What happens

Frank Hardy, who's nine, and his brother Joe, who's eight, are halfway through a game of dodgeball in the park when their friend Chet finds something in the dirt. He was following raccoon tracks (tracking is his hobby this week). It's an old burger wrapper, ketchup and all. But there's a map drawn on the back.

A dotted line winds through the woods behind the Hardys' house. So of course they follow it.

There's just one snag. A corner of the map has been chewed off, and it's exactly the corner where the trail ends.

It's a brilliant little adventure. There are two tough-looking teenagers who chase the boys out of a clearing. There's Adam Ackerman, the town bully, lurking behind trees. And there's a very bouncy bloodhound puppy whose owner can't decide what to call him (you'll enjoy the names they try out).

Meanwhile there's a second mystery at home. Mum is suddenly cleaning everything, Dad is out shopping, and nobody will say what's going on in the locked spare room over the garage. Joe is convinced he's finally getting his own bedroom.

The chapters are short and it moves fast. The brothers use a whiteboard in their secret tree house to work through the six Ws (who, what, when, where, why and how). It's a nice way to show young readers how a detective thinks.

There's a good moment about doing the right thing, too, when finders keepers doesn't quite apply. Frank sees it first, and the others come round.

If you've got a reader who loves a secret den and a proper map, they'll have a great time with this one.

What to read next

It's the third of the Secret Files books, and Frank and Joe mention cases they've already solved. So you might like to start with Trouble at the Arcade, the first one, where there's a video game tournament to win and the same hidden tree house.