Charles and the Money Box Mystery

Eleven-year-old Charles Thorogood is far from his parents, far from London, and desperate for news from war-torn England. Living with relatives in snowy Duluth, Minnesota, Charles spends his evenings listening for Morse code messages on his radio and worrying about the family he left behind. School should distract him, especially now that he has been chosen to play Ebenezer Scrooge in the Christmas production of A Christmas Carol. Instead, a faded playbill pulls him into a mystery that has waited nearly thirty years to be solved. Hidden on the old program is a message written by Charles's mother when she was a girl. Someone took something from the school in 1913. Someone with access to the keys may know the truth. Charles, his sister Elizabeth, and their spirited cousin Mary soon uncover rumors of missing money, a suspicious maintenance man, a locked school locker, and an old money box that should have disappeared long ago. The deeper they dig, the more certain they become that someone at the school has spent decades hiding a secret. Their investigation leads them through shadowy hallways, a steaming boiler room, the principal's office, and the crowded backstage passages of the Christmas play. Every clue brings new trouble. Teachers demand that they concentrate on rehearsals. Classmates spread wild stories about ghosts and spies. Adults warn them to leave the past alone. Even Samuel Pike, the school's angry maintenance man, seems determined to frighten them away. But Charles refuses to abandon the mystery his mother could never finish. Fortunately, the children are not working alone. Hidden in the attic of their Duluth home is a magical village inhabited by six-inch-tall wooden people who can walk, talk, argue, and occasionally vanish with a pop. Nicholas, Astrid, Arve, Ola, and the other Villagers offer advice-and sometimes secret assistance-as Charles and the girls race to uncover the truth before the curtain rises. Yet the Villagers also warn Charles that solving a mystery requires more than catching someone. A good detective must listen, understand, and discover why the wrongdoing happened. Set during the tense winter of 1941, Charles and the Money Box Mystery blends historical adventure, family longing, Christmas excitement, gentle magic, and a fast-moving school mystery. As opening night approaches, Charles must face a frightening suspect, protect his friends, remember his lines, and decide whether justice always means punishment. Young readers who enjoy secret clues, courageous children, magical companions, and mysteries with heart will find an unforgettable adventure waiting behind the curtain.