For the modern quick-mystery book, see Mini Mysteries.
Minute Mysteries: Brainteasers, Puzzlers, and Stories to Solve is a puzzle mystery book, focused on the Historical Characters. It was later followed by Minute Mysteries 2.
Overview[]
The puzzle stories are in the style of Encyclopedia Brown stories, with each excerpt integrating clues. At the end of each story is a riddle--the "mystery"--to solve, with the answer on back pages (and noted in the story on which page) in variant orientations.
Each short mystery takes a sample excerpt from one of the Historical Characters' Central Series, Short Stories, or other books. The stories are mixed together in the book, but in the table of contents are separated on the table of contents into either one-minute teasers, three-minute stories, or five-minute puzzlers. Every Historical Character at the time is included in at least one story.
One-Minute Teasers are quickly answered brainteasers or puzzles. Three Minutes Stories are longer stories with integrated clues that help answer the question. Five-Minute puzzlers generally are somewhat advanced grid logic puzzles.
Contents[]
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- What's in a Name?: Kit Kittredge must figure out three girls' full names. (set during Kit's Railway Adventure)
- Riddle Me This: Addy Walker and her brother Sam Walker give each other riddles to guess. (set during Addy's Little Brother)
- Keys to the Riddle: Kit adds a riddle to the Hard Time News she, Ruthie, and Stirling are writing (set post Happy Birthday, Kit!)
- Kaya's Horse Race: The children try to figure out their places after a horse race. (set during Kaya Shows The Way)
- The Spotless Stain: Addy tries to figure out why a napkin at breakfast is clean. (set during Happy Birthday, Addy!)
Three-Minute Stories[]
- The First Day of School: Kirsten Larson explains why Amos is not telling the truth. (set during Kirsten Learns a Lesson)
- Treasure in the Corn: Ana has her sisters Francisca, Clara, and Josefina Montoya guess their ages from a past time when they were preparing corn. (set during Josefina Learns a Lesson)
- The Ice Cream Culprit: Samantha Parkington uses clues to accuse Eddie Ryland of ruining her birthday ice cream. (set during Happy Birthday, Samantha!)
- Giggles in the Garden: Felicity Merriman and Elizabeth Cole try to find out who is spying on them and giggling at Felicity's dancing. (set during Felicity's Dancing Shoes)
- Red, Blue, and White: Molly realizes Dorinda is telling a lie as they prepare during the Color War. (set during Molly Saves the Day)
Five-Minute Puzzlers[]
- An Amusing Drive: Samantha and Nellie are unsure why Cornelia is upset about Gardner's driving. (set during Nellie's Promise)
- Knit One, Purl Who?: Molly puzzles out who knit what color squares to make their blanket. (set during Molly Learns a Lesson)
- Five Pairs of Skates: Samantha, Nellie, and their friends must work out who has each other's skates. (set during Samantha's Winter Party)