Turn the lights off to play a little hidden object game!
This book is about a mysterious sketch, living in a museum after hours, and most importantly a file cabinet full of index cards and article clippings guarded by a grumpy old woman: who knows what intriguing tidbits are hidden inside?
“Neel takes a sharp breath and I know exactly what it means. It means: I have waited my whole life to walk through a secret passage built into a bookshelf.”
A delicious mix of magical secret societies and the allure of books and knowledge, combined with a modern day interest in technology.
A force of mysterious knowledge runs through this book: wandering the stacks of the Bodleain Library, a young boy encounters a book clasped by two serpents. Mysticisim, knowledge, and Faust are all part of the journey that commences.
Can you solve the mystery of the will before the author reveals it to you? Not just a tonally mysterious book, but a puzzling one too. A classic of children's literature.
One of the few books in this list that inspired me to take notes while reading it, feeling like I could solve the mystery right alongside the characters. A wonderful description of place, set in the ornate Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. If you've never seen a Vermeer painting, this book will make you want to find one to observe.
The sequels are excellent and equally as mysterious.
Specifically, the first book and its symbol cipher along the bottom of each page in the book. I learned to write it, found a symbol key, and began to decipher it – to the point where I could almost read the symbols as letters. I never did decipher all the ciphered text in the book though.
I was so obsessed with this book that I didn't want to return it to the library. I created my own copy with all the bits I found most interesting by copying them onto lined paper by hand, adding a hand-drawn cover, and stapling it all together to create my own mini-booklet.
This book was a hand-me-down from my Cool Aunt. I loved that this was written in a straight-forward and matter-of-fact tone – like a real handbook might have been. I have vague memories of assembling a detective/spy kit, and this book was included. The colorful and fun pictures are a strong point, though not very mysterious in-and-of themselves.
