Mindspaces

Hazel Edwards (author)

Jan D'Silva (illus)

Random House, Australia: 1993

ISBN: 0091827450

Genres: adventure, mystery, realistic fiction

Issues: friendship, giftedness, tolerance

The Tournament of Minds teams are being put together at Mount St. Public School and Art (Arthur) has been invited to participate. He might struggle with reading but Art is good at thinking laterally and solving problems.

But on the day of the competition things become complicated - thieves have stolen an exceptionally valuable coin from a display at the university. Worse, they are trying to steal and sabotage some important research - proof that ideas are just as valuable, or even more so, than objects. Can Art catch the thieves and still fulfil his responsibility to the T.O.M team?
Although the text is a bit pedestrian, this is a good early introduction to the mystery genre for younger readers. The gaps in narrative and leaps in logic will irritate more experienced readers.