A Stranger Comes To Town, by Rod Van Wyndgarden – Book Review

When I was a child growing up, I had a tremendous love of books. I read everything from The Babysitter’s Club, Sweet Valley Twins, to Little House on the Prairie. I soaked up those books and had more adventures than you can even imagine.

It brings me a lot of joy to know that I’ve passed that love of books and reading on to my children. Recently, my daughter and I even read a book together for review, Rod Van Wyndgarden’s A Lake Alamo Mystery January 1967 – A Stranger Comes to Town.

Here is a little synopsis from Tate Publishing:

The Van Duren girls were all very smart and good at sports. Haylie and Rachel were ten-year-old twins. Haylie was strong and could even beat up the boys if she wanted to. Rachel could think her way out of any situation. She was the all-city checkers champion, and could even play chess and beat grownups, something that no other kid in her grade could do. Kayla was only seven, but she was a quick thinker and could keep up with her sisters, both on their bikes and using her brain.

When the three of them team up to form a detective agency, no mystery stands a chance! As the sisters patrol the streets of Lake Alamo on their bikes, they’re ready to take on any challenge. The Van Duren sisters solve mysteries of all kinds, from secret identities to stolen items to bullies, these sisters are ready to take it all on, one case at a time.
72 pages – $7.99 (paperback)

Since the book is written by a man, I wondered just how he would write a book about three little girls. Then I saw that he has three daughters and I knew that he was going to have plenty of insight into how girls think and act. Basically, I’d have to say he nailed it.

I loved the characters in the book. The girls are adorable and spunky. Very relatable to the little girls who would be reading it. I can actually picture some of the children I know wanting to start their own detective agency! I do believe they would charge more than 25 cents, though.

The way that the book is written it could easily be split up into chapters to be read at night with the parents or it could be a continued read for an older child. I loved how the girls used common sense and logic to solve each mystery. And you are told how they come to their conclusion. Not only is this a fun story, it’s also educational!

Another wonderful thing about the books is that proceeds from each sale go toward supporting two charities: Guide Dogs for the Blind and Feed My Starving Children.

If you have young girls in the 3rd to 6th grade range, I would highly recommend this book. It’s sure to be a hit with your little reader!

You can purchase this book directly from the publisher’s website or from Amazon.com.

This is a sponsored post. The opinions stated above are my own.