Swindled! The 1906 Journal of Fitz Morgan (Crime Through Time, No. 1) [Paperback]

Bill Doyle (Author)

Book Description

Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Crime Through Time, No. 1

Each book in the Crime Through Time series is hosted by a different child member of the famous Fitzmorgan detective family. While the young sleuth unravels a fictional mystery, readers learn about the real historical setting and actual crime-solving methods from the different eras. In sidebar activities, readers take on the role of assistant, helping to crack the case. Breathtakingly suspenseful but never violent and always age-appropriate, the books read like private investigative journals, with photos, maps, news clippings and crime scene sketches.In Swindled!, Fitz is aboard one of those new Continental Express trains, bound from New York for San Francisco. As more and more people take sick from cyanide poisoning, Fitz and a new friend, Justine "the Judge" Pinkerton (of the famous crime-solving Pinkerton family) begin to unravel a wickedly ingenious plot involving a ring of money counterfeiters.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Bill Doyle has worked as a freelance editor and writer at The Discovery Channel, Comedy Central, the American Museum of Natural History, Time For Kids, LeapFrog and Scholastic, among others.

Product Details

• Paperback: 139 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers (March 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316057363
• ISBN-13: 978-0316057363
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,818,427 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bill Doyle grew up in Michigan and wrote his first story--a funny whodunit--when he was eight. Since then he's written other action-packed books for kids, like...
* "Attack of the Shark-Headed Zombie" (Random House)
* "The Worst Case Scenario Ultimate Adventure: Everest" (Chronicle)
* Crime Through Time series (Little Brown)
* and the Behind Enemy Lines series (Scholastic).
He lives with two dachshund-headed canines in New York City, and you can visit him online at www.billdoyle.net.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So much fun!, April 13, 2006

By 

C. Burgess "chico_bkny" (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Swindled! The 1906 Journal of Fitz Morgan (Crime Through Time, No. 1) (Paperback)

I bought this book (and the second one in the series -- Nabbed!) as a gift for my neice, but I have to confess that I read it first myself. I didn't mean to, really, but I flipped open to the first page to get a sense of it, and I found it so interesting that I actually decided I had to finish it, and the second book too. I think it's really clever how you get to know the family and get involved in the mysteries, through the clues and the forensic information given. The way the author makes the period come alive is particularly effective as well. This is no dry historical fiction, that's for sure.

Oh, and by the way -- my neice loved it too! I highly recommend it for young readers, but I urge the parents to sneak a read of it themselves.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nabbed, May 9, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Swindled! The 1906 Journal of Fitz Morgan (Crime Through Time, No. 1) (Paperback)

I loved this book! I finished it (with the help of my dad) over the course of three nights and tried to guess all of the mysteries. I can't wait to see what characters are in the next book. What happens to Asyla???

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Hot Bill Doyle Book!, May 9, 2006

By 

overnewleaf "Ms. C" (Allegan, MI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Swindled! The 1906 Journal of Fitz Morgan (Crime Through Time, No. 1) (Paperback)

My students are waiting in line to read this book! Its illustrations support and add interest to the historical elements of the story. Light humor, appealing characterizations, and intrique accessible to 5th graders make it a must read.