How can junior detectives become master sleuths who behave just right at a crime scene; distract suspects, follow tracks, and decode secret messages? The Alligator Gang, a team of four kids--two boys and two girls--has the answers to these all-important questions...and once you open this wonderful "training manual" you will too! Create a multi-purpose pad to jot down observations, scribble a secret letter, and even take measurements. Set up all-natural alarm systems, make a great escape, and perfectly execute the "bandage trick." Don't go on a search without that "special suitcase" stuffed with such necessities as a measuring glass, flashlight, rubber gloves, and fingerprint powder.
Gr. 3-6. Fans of mystery and detective stories who might like to try some sleuthing on their own, will get dozens of tips--from camouflage ideas and secret codes to how to test a crime scene for fingerprints--in this "strategy guide" for four amateur sleuths who call themselves the Alligators. The ideas may be fun, but they aren't always practical: the hidden cameras seem invasive and difficult to manage, and a life jacket jerry-rigged from a pair of pants could be dangerous. Young people following in the footsteps of David Adler's Cam Jansen or Louise Fitzhugh's Harriet the Spy will have a great time with this, but the book will also be a useful resource for teachers who include the reading or writing of mysteries in the curriculum. Catherine Andronik
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