Case Closed #1: Mystery in the Mansion Paperback – March 26, 2019

Carlos' mother is a detective, but her agency is struggling to stay afloat. To make matter worse, she is sick with the flu and can't begin the investigation for her latest case which is identifying the person sending death threats to Guinevere LeCavilier, a wealthy older woman. Carlo's mom asks him to call her partner Cole, but Carlos decides to take matters into his own hands and recruits his best friend Eliza to join him. Accompanying them is Frank, Eliza’s annoying and obnoxious six year old brother. Will Carlos, Eliza, and Frank be successful in cracking the case? Well, that all depends on the reader who must help them make choices and solve puzzles to find the perpetrator.Growing up, I devoured the Choose Your Own Adventure series because I loved having a role in the outcome of the story. Mystery in the Mansion, the first book in Lauren Magaziner's new Case Closed series transported me back to my childhood and I must share that I love her format even better! Why? When readers come to a part of the story when they must make a choice, there may be two, three or even four options from which to choose. In addition, readers may be required to solve a puzzle to identify the next page that will move the plot along. And while some puzzles are simple, others prompt readers to get out pencil and paper, brush up on their math or even call in for help (Confession: I had to seek my husband’s support a few times).After finally solving the case (Yes-it took me a few tries), I went back to the beginning of the story to start over. I became quite addictive to discovering if there were multiple good endings but even a wrong turn was fun because of Lauren Magaziner’s creative and humorous plot. Not only am I excited to share this original new series with students, I believe it would be a great class read aloud and in a recent tweet, Lauren Magaziner provides some read aloud tips for teachers. And the best part of all-Case Closed is a series! Looking forward to more adventures with Carlos, Eliza, and of course, Frank’s hilarious antics!

My 14 year old got this for a book club. It was fun to read and can be reread many times because you chose the outcome for the characters.

I loved this book so much that it is going to be my next read-aloud in my fifth grade classroom. The mystery is captivating, and the characters have some great back and forth conversations, but what I LOVE LOVE LOVE is the format of this book. Ms. Magaziner brings in every type of learner by incorporating puzzles, riddles, and logic into solving the mystery. I recommend that you also purchase some post-it notes, because for every decision you make, you'll probably want to go back and try the other option as well!Perfect for kids who love mysteries, and think their so smart they can solve anything! Also a wonderful option for reading with kids one-on-one, and I have high hopes of starting this series with my g-baby when she's old enough for chapter books.Adults buying this book: it just may bring you back to those Choose Your Own Adventure books we loved for their empowerment and involvement of readers. You might want to buy two!

Easy to read but jumping back and forth on choices in the book was confusing. The whole book was about death threats and treasure burred under the house. I read several versions, went back over and over choosing different choices and never found the treasure. Was a little disappointing. Would have liked to found the treasure in at least one of the choices. Some of the puzzles were not meant for little children. All in all the book was interesting but also disappointing about the treasure.

These books are amazing! My daughter (age 9) and I LOVE to read them at night and try to crack all of the codes along the way! It helps her to make careful decisions and think about consequences too! I love the choose your own adventure style of the book tied into an escape room feeling and so does she! We bought all 4 books and are on book 2 now! So Addicting!

I ordered these books for my grandchildren. They really enjoy these books send them in many different directions.

When I was younger, I used to love to read. The choose your own adventure books were my favorite! My son who is 10 and in 4th grade hates to read. Mainly because it is hard but also because it is boring. Part of his homework every night is to read for 30 minutes. It's almost always a struggle. I bought him this book and hyped it up a bit. He was reluctant at first but now he doesn't want to put it down. He read for an hour last night and didn't even notice. I highly recommend getting this book for your reluctant reader. I just ordered him 2 more and he can't wait!!

Great for a 10 year old! He loves the math riddles and puzzles. Fun to solve and challenging enough to be interesting. The book keeps you wanting to read and is fun to choose your own version of the story. This one can be read a few times.