Room One: a Mystery or Two

By Andrew Clements
Rating: 3 1/2 stars
Reviewed by Noelle

Ted lives in the tiny town of Plattsford, Nebraska, where he is one of only 9 students in a one room school and he knows almost everyone in town due to his paper route. Then one day while delivering papers, he sees a girl's face in the window of an abandoned house. Ted is a fan of mysteries and instantly decides to try and solve this one himself. But when Ted ends up meeting the girl and finding out about her problems, he realizes that a real life mystery isn't as cut and dried as the last chapter in a book. And when the girl and her family suddenly disappear, Ted finds that there is another mystery that needs solving and that it will take more than just detective skills to do what is right. This is ultimately a novel about kindness and trust. Readers looking for a more traditional mystery might be disappointed, but they might find that this story is ultimately more rewarding. An unusual and likeable tale that lets us glimpse small time life in the midwest.