This book is a collection of 10 stories that were original published in The American Girl magazine, which was a magazine by Girl Scouts and shouldn't be confused with the modern American Girl magazine published by Pleasant Company, the makers of American Girl dolls. Several other books containing short stories were published such as Sports Stories, First Date Stories, etc.
This one, as you can tell by the title, is Mystery and Suspense stories. I have my doubts as to how suspenseful a short story can be as I personally don't feel there's enough time to build up interest in a mystery but we shall see!
The Legacy of Canyon John
Jerry and Linda are two teenage photography enthusiasts who are hoping to win a cash prize in a photography contest to pay for college.
They go to the post office to pick up their new telescopic camera lens and also receive a letter. Its from a nurse at the local mission hospital telling them that their friend Canyon John has passed away. He was a native American and the last of his tribe. Before his passing he had a nurse dictate a letter for the two kids giving them directions into Canyon Del Muerto where he says something very precious is located with its existence being known only to his tribe.
The two horseback into the canyon where they find Dawson, a hospital employee, pickaxing the canyon wall. He had read the letter and is hoping to steal whatever treasure he assumes is there. He orders Linda and Jerry away at the point of a shotgun.
Once the two are some distance away they use their telescopic lens to catch a picture of Dawson as evidence for the police. But Dawson quickly sees them and fires the shotgun. They leave the canyon and head home to develop the film.
Once they do they find they have a wonderful picture of Dawson taking aim at them and the picture also captures something else; up on a cliff is a nest of California condors. Canyon Johns precious gift was the knowledge of the endangered birds home.
- This one was alright. It was a little longer than I think it should be but certainly not the worst in the book at all.
Night Flight
Lyn, an air force flight nurse has a passenger go into early labor on a flight. The plane makes an emergency landing and the woman is taken to a nearby rural hospital to give birth. However the hospital doesn't have the resources to take care of a premature baby so it must be flown to a different hospital. It's a dangerous trip for the fragile newborn to make but Lyn gives it her all and the baby safely makes it.
- This one was sweet but I didn't like how Lyn named the baby. When they're travelling to the second hospital she decides to call the baby Susie and keeps referring to her as that. I thought it was really weird and if I had been the mother I would have been creeped out and felt really disrespected.
Strange House
The main character of this book is unnamed since it is written in first person however it's mentioned that her father's nickname for her is "minx" so I'll use that.
Minx is taking a summer college course in New York and her aunts have offered to let her stay at their old brownstone house since they are out of state on a vacation.
Strange things happen such as the sound of someone walking up the stairs despite no one being there and things being moved like Minx's hat she left on a bench being moved to the hat rack.
One stormy night the sky light crashes in and Minx has to go downstairs to get a washtub to catch the rain, during which she hears the footsteps again.
She doesn't worry about the goings on because she is too busy with her college class but at night they give her the chills.
When she comes home from class one day she sees a table has been moved and a small rug has been hung over the banister. A letter from her aunt is waiting for her and when she reads it she learns the aunts have a cleaning women that comes every other day which solves part of the mystery.
She sits outs on the front steps and begins making small talk with the elderly man that lives next door. He tells her the old homes on the street are all built alike but opposite. After he goes inside Minx does too and she hears the footsteps again, they're the neighbor walking up his staircase which is on the other side of the wall of her staircase.
- This one was good. It was spooky and I liked how brave Minx was. I was really invested in finding out what was causing the strange noises however I also wasn't aware that brownstone houses were attached to each other which probably would have tipped me off to the answer.
Spring Tornado
Debbie has just been given an aeroplane by her father and is planning on selling it to pay for college. When a tornado comes along Debbie is about to fly her plane to safety when she sees a family with a flat tire on the side of the road. She decides to drive her car to safety so she can bring the stranded family with her, leaving her plane in the tornados path. Her plane ends up surviving and the family gifts her a scholarship to college as a thank you for her unselfishness in saving them from the tornado.
- It was hard to see a teenager complain about money when she owns her own plane.
The Boathouse Mystery
Gail and her friends have been granted permission to use cranky old Mr. Slaters boat house as a concession stand while he is out of town. After hearing gunshots in Mr. Slaters private woods they realize someone is hunting out of season and have to catch the dangerous men.
- This is the longest story in the book yet is shortest of my summaries because I didn't like this one. I didn't find the characters likeable or having common sense.
Locked In!
Valborg works in a department store and hopes to save enough money for a ski outfit. When she falls asleep on the sofa of a display set she wakes up to find it's night and she is locked in the department store. She soon finds a little boy lost in the store and cares for him for the night. The next day she is rewarded with a new ski outfit by the boys mother.
- This one was kind of weird. The writing felt awkward and Valborg has to have lapses of commen sense for it to play out in a suspenseful way.
- Like Spring Tornado the lesson of the story is to be kind and help people...because then they will give you money and/or presents. I hate that.
Kay Uses the Evidence
While working as a candy striper in the hospital a little boy is brought in after being hit by a car. He keeps calling for "luto". With the help of a blurry newspaper photo Kay deduces that "luto" is the boys pet dog named Pluto and recovers the dog from the local animal shelter.
- The age of this one shows as I don't think anyone would connect "luto" to Pluto the dog so easily. It was a cute story tho.
Fire at Egg Ranch
Vicky is left home alone with her little brother as a blazing forest fire creeps closer to her family's chicken farm. The roads are shut off so no help will come but Vicky's conscious can not let her flee and leave the thousand chickens behind so she uses her fathers tractor to create a fire break as the fire rages inches from her.
- This one was really good. It builds up the suspense well as Vicki watches the fire get closer and closer as she impatiently awaits her parents return home. Her bravery in taking the tractor into the heat of battle, so to speak, despite her being untrained on the dangerous machinery to save the lives of innocent animals was really beautiful.
- My only complaint is that the severity of smoke in the air during a wild fire was kind of downplayed. In reality I think it would have been much more of a challenge for Vicky to deal with.
Prowlers in the Night
Bitsey is suppose to leave for a trip right after her graduation ceremony but when her cranky great aunt Melissa does not show up Bitsey foregoes her trip to return to her aunts house despite the fact that her aunt was also suppose to leave for a trip that night.
Bitsey finds the house empty and the utilities turned off as her aunt had planned. Feeling as tho she skipped her trip for nothing she hears a repetitive tapping in the empty house and soon a prowler appears. Evading the prowler until he leaves Bitsey builds up her courage to investigate the tapping and finds her great aunt trapped in the houses elevator due to the electricity being scheduled for disconnection due to her trip. The "prowler" was her chauffer looking for her.
- This one felt very similar to Strange House but that's not a bad thing. I think both Bitsey and her aunt Melissa were brave in different ways.
Amateur Sleuth
Elly and her boyfriend Butch head to Elly's grandfather's house out in the countryside. They are visiting the retired judge to earn money for a school projecting by doing odd tasks. While in the yard working a man comes by looking for the judge's residence. He is an escaped convict looking for revenge on the judge and the two teenagers must out wit him to protect Elly's grandfather.
- This one was actually my favorite. I think the setup was great and I loved the location. I also loved how Elly and Butch work together. I would happily read a whole book with these characters
This book is available from Archive's lending library (if only I had know that before buying a copy).
