26 - The Mystery of the Mixed-Up Zoo

Mixed-Up Zoo is a far more accurate name than Amusement Park was. For example, the fact that the sign indicating it's a zoo is behind the monkey cage? MIXED UP! The fact that the sign on said cage just says "monkey" in big letters and the species in teeny-weeny letters? MIXED UP! The fact that Benny is holding a food cup, implying that he's been entrusted with care of the monkey? NEGLIGENT AND POTENTIALLY ACTIONABLE!

Also, I'm pretty sure the girls don't understand what his problem is because he's not pointing at the empty cage.

25 - The Amusement Park Mystery

More like the Trauma Park Mystery. Or the Spiral of Shame and Guilt Park Mystery. I mean, look at them. Those are not amused faces. Nor are they the faces of people solving a mystery. I know what that looks like. There's a lot more pointing, for one thing. Oh, wait, you know what? It's probably just that they're at such a high vantage point, they can't choose which of the myriad things in their field of vision to point at first. They'll be fine once they get to the ground and are free to point and go "Look! A carousel! Let's go solve it!" That makes sense. Plus, I think I just solved the Tree House Mystery.

Bear with me here.

Hello, loyal fan(s?)! Sorry for the delay, but retail work at the holiday season is madness, and I ran out my backlog. So I'm going to write a whole mess of entries tomorrow evening, enough to get through Christmas if I'm lucky. Sorry about the surprise hiatus.

24 - Mystery of the Hidden Painting

Okay, either this is the end of the book, or this is another time they thought a more accurate title, like "The Mystery of the Located Painting" wouldn't pop. It's the bicycles all over again. At least my obsession with footwear is free to continue. It seems Henry and Jessie are now firmly on the matching side, though on opposing matching the shirt or the pants factions. The younger ones are opting for simple generic will-never-match-anything shoes. And great-Grandma Alden wonders from her silent frame what has become of her once proud bloodline.