Review: No Gnomes are Home!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 6, 2013
I received a free copy of this book from the author, through LibraryThings; an honest review was requested."The Mystery of the Missing Gnomes" by Paul Moxham is a cleverly developed young mystery story, not unlike the Hardy Boy mysteries of my youth. Three siblings, Joe, Amy, and Sarah, are visiting the village of Smuggler's Cove for the summer, where they befriend a local boy, Will. Their summer is filled with adventure and fun; "Missing Gnomes" is just one of the several adventures they enjoy.In this story, Joe and his sisters see a police car parked in front of a house. Because it is a Sunday morning, they assume something must be happening. Upon approaching the officer, Constable Biggens, they learn a worthless garden gnome had been stolen from this home. Further questioning reveals the fact that this is just the latest of several garden gnomes which have disappeared under suspicious circumstances. The kids are on the case!Putting their heads together, comparing facts, and doing some fundamental planning, the young sleuths spend a day or two sneaking around town, spying on gardens with gnomes in them, hoping to catch the perpetrator in the act of stealing his next gnome. Although they are at a loss to explain why anybody would steal worthless garden gnomes, the youngsters ultimately do learn the identity of the thief, and report their findings to Constable Biggens.Biggens and the children confront the thief and find all the "loot". However, the thief's sister arrives and explains to the Constable the extenuating circumstances responsible for her brother's odd behavior. In exchange for returning the gnomes to their homes, and promising to cease his illicit activities, all charges are dropped.However, you are going to have to read the book yourself to learn all the missing details! It is a cute, fun story. There are more adventures in this series, and I have read two of them; they both are well written and not at all trite.I highly recommend these stories for the middle-grade readers in your circle of friends and relatives. Even adults will enjoy sitting back and reading these stories for a short break from reality.