Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew 19 – April Fool’s Day

Carolyn Keene's April Fool's Day is a Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew mystery for 8 year olds about a prank party where two very fancy gadgets go missing.

What happens

Nancy is eight. She runs a detective club called the Clue Crew with her best friends Bess and George, who are cousins but couldn't be more different.

The book starts with a gag of its own. Nancy opens an envelope marked REPORT CARD and gulps. Inside is an invitation to April Funk's April Fool's Day party! Everyone has to bring a prank, and there's a trophy for the best one.

At the joke shop, the girls bump into Sydney. She says she's April's best friend and demands to know EVERYTHING about a party she hasn't been invited to. Then she turns up anyway.

April's party is brilliant. The house looks empty, and when the girls push the door a police siren goes off (it's April with a megaphone). The snack table has a litter tray full of kitty poops that turn out to be cake and caramel. Would your reader be brave enough to try one?

Two girls from April's old school, Miranda and Heidi, spend the party showing off a games console and a phone you can't even buy in the country yet. So when those disappear, it's a proper case. Was it meant as a prank? Or did someone at that party really want them?

The puzzle here is all about friendships. Who's telling the truth, who feels left out, and why April didn't invite the girl who says she's her best friend. It's a very recognisable feeling for anyone who's wondered why they weren't asked to something.

The detective-club feel is lovely too. Nancy notices things. George brings a calculator that squirts water. And Bess is mainly worried about what to wear!

What to read next

If this one goes down well, Ticket Trouble has the three girls at their school's autumn fair, where Ned's ride tickets vanish from the counter while he's having a go at the throwing game.