The Shirley Link Box Set: A Middle Grade Mystery Series

by Ben Zackheim

And if you like Fantasy books, try out The Camelot Kids! Here are a couple of reviews from Fantasy-lovers like you.

  "If you've been waiting for a book that will take you back to the day when you first read Harry Potter, then your wait is over."

  - A Chick Who Reads review (5 Stars)

  "I don't think I have had such a fun time with a book since I read Percy Jackson."

  - Belle's Beautiful Books review

  The Camelot Kids: Book One

  Now I hope you enjoy these 50 riddles from Shirley Link & The 100 Riddles Activity Book!

  And here's another extra for you! Enjoy the first 50 riddles from the eBook, Shirley Link & The 100 Riddles...

  #1

  Wax for a body

  And string for a head

  When the lights go out

  You use me instead

  #2

  I have a tongue

  But never eat

  That is, unless you

  Count your feet

  #3

  I sit on your floor

  I sit on a desk

  I beam at your touch

  I'm so statuesque!

  #4

  I can't save the whole world

  But I do what I can

  I climb walls like a bug

  Yet I'm just a man

  #5

  I'm flatter than a pancake

  My edge cuts a slice

  But my tip can be scary

  It can even take life

  #6

  Most folks judge me

  By my face

  But the fine words inside me

  Reveal my grace

  #7

  You say that you are me

  In the morning, noon and night

  I won't just go away

  Only food can make things right

  #8

  In three dimensions I have six sides

  In two dimensions I have four

  I promise to stand firmly

  If you set me on the floor

  #9

  You use me to dry off

  Or clean up a mess

  But I prefer the first job

  I must confess

  #10

  I have two hands

  And a face, like you

  It's tough to see time

  If I'm too far askew

  #11

  I'm above your head

  But you'll only spot me outside

  I'm not the sky

  I'm where the raindrops slide

  #12

  This room upstairs,

  Rarely sees light

  It holds secrets in boxes

  And can give us a fright

  #13

  I never say a word

  But I'm still really funny

  I might be a monkey

  But I'm friends with a bunny!

  #14

  You need me to see

  But don't block me

  Or a shadow on the wall

  Will you be

  #15

  I run between mountains

  Through forests and cities

  I carry your goods

  And my water is gritty

  #16

  "Tiny, cute and furry"

  Are three words for me

  But if I'm in your kitchen

  I'm not fun to see

  #17

  I'm one color in Summer

  And another in Fall

  But my favorite time is Spring

  (That's my curtain call)

  #18

  I walk around

  Even though I'm dead

  My favorite dish

  Is in your head

  #19

  I'm an enemy of the bat

  And a friend, too

  (I'm chancy)

  I'm just like a cat

  I do what I fancy

  #20

  I look it, but I'm no lizard

  You should know I hate wizards

  I can put out their spell

  With my fire from hell!

  #21

  I go up, up up

  One after the other

  When there are a hundred of me

  Your lungs can't take another

  #22

  I can make kids cry

  And animals hide

  My roar is so loud

  It can be heard from a cloud

  #23

  Even when we're giants

  We manage to be cute

  But give us a magic portal

  And we'll fight like savage brutes

  #24

  I'm all around you

  Strong, smooth and stout

  I'm your largest organ

  I keep your guts from falling out

  #25

  We're your foundation

  At the bottom of you

  We're the first ones to feel

  That you probably grew

  #26

  Without me, you'd fall

  And with me, you stand

  When you wear your bare feet

  Feel me, you can

  #27

  You peek through me

  To see what's inside

  Unless I'm blinded or draped,

  Nothing within can hide

  #28

  Boo-hoo-hoo

  Minus the hoo-hoo, to me

  Is my favorite thing

  To say to thee

  #29

  My hands are like yours

  But they hide six sharp things

  Watch me clench my fists

  And you'll see them spring!

  #30

  I'm packed with riddles

  They prove that you're smart

  Look up from this book

  And show me how sharp!

  #31

  What others cannot see,

  touch, taste or hear

  This detective finds obvious

  He is without peer

  #32

  I grow on a tree

  A deep color red

  I'm not an apple

  But taste great on bread

  #33

  I have a diver's breath

  My presence means death

  I thought darkness was strong

  But my son proved me wrong

  #34

  We're part of your face

  We never stop moving

  Even when shut

  We keep on grooving

  #35

  I can write books

  I can take tests, too

  I doodle during lessons

  They call me number 2

  #36

  My name might be funny

  (It only rhymes with "saga")

  But my pop music is fun

  My name is...

  #37

  The high seas are my home

  I don't work alone

  My mateys and me

  Have an eye for prized stones

  #38

  Will you rub my tummy?

  Bacon is yummy!

  I wag my tail

  Don't leave, or I'll wail!

  #39

  The letter after "J"

  And the number after "8"

  Spell what I am

  I think bones are great!

  #40

  Once a month

  The full moon glares from on high

  And changes me, horribly

  I howl at the sky

  #41

  If you were smaller than me

  I'd probably eat you

  My favorite dish is lasagna,

  My favorite food is FOOD!

  #42

  I float through the air

  So that you can hear

  I can soothe and excite

  And sing to your ear

  #43

  I'll grant your wish

  Or clean your house

  I'll turn your enemy

  Into a mouse

  #44

  I'm creepy-crawly

  But you
won't see me move

  I'll climb all your walls

  Get in every groove

  #45

  Be good, or you'll end up

  Inside my sad shell

  Your home will be nothing

  But hallways and cells

  #46

  We have tough backs

  Colorful masks

  And sharp weapons to boot

  We may be mutant dudes

  But we're still really cute!

  #47

  I look at you

  with one shiny, black eye

  And you look at me

  Until your eyes dry

  #48

  The more of me

  You have in your pocket

  The more likely it is

  You can buy that gold locket

  #49

  For such a small thing

  I scare a lot of people

  Maybe it's my eight legs

  (That climb up the steeple)

  #50

  I'm fast as lightning

  It's even in my name!

  I'm red as a fire truck

  I make other racers look lame

  1. Candle

  2. Shoe

  3. Lamp (or cat, if you define "beam" as "grin")

  4. Spider-Man

  5. Knife

  6. Book

  7. Hunger or hungry

  8. Box

  9. Towel

  10. Clock

  11. Roof

  12. Attic

  13. Curious George

  14. Light

  15. River

  16. Mouse

  17. Trees or flowers

  18. Zombies

  19. Catwoman

  20. Dragon

  21. Steps or stairs

  22. Thunder

  23. Skylanders

  24. Skin

  25. Feet

  26. Floor or ground

  27. Window

  28. Ghost

  29. Wolverine

  30. This book!

  31. Sherlock Holmes

  32. Cherry

  33. Darth Vader

  34. Eyes

  35. Pencil

  36. Lady Gaga

  37. Pirate

  38. Dog

  39. K9 or dog (yes, again!)

  40. Werewolf

  41. Garfield

  42. Music

  43. Magic or genie

  44. Vine

  45. Prison

  46. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

  47. Television or monitor

  48. Money

  49. Spider

  50. Lightning McQueen

  Shirley Link & The Hot Comic

  Ben Zackheim

  Illustrations and cover by Robin Hoffman

  Chapter One: Awful Assumptions

  My dad hates assumptions. He says, "Assuming is just laziness disguised as wisdom."

  It's true, right? Like my friend Wylie, for instance. He ate the fries off my plate at lunch the other day. He always does. He assumed I was okay with it because I've hated potatoes forever. But I changed my mind after an awesome potato salad lunch at Mr. and Mrs. Stark's farm. So I smacked his hand with my Algebra book.

  Here's another example of how assumptions suck. My dad took the family to the Adirondacks last summer. He always takes the same route. It never fails.

  Well, until it did. A four-hour trip took seven hours, thanks to construction. A simple check on Google Maps would have prevented that disaster.

  The point is, we make bad decisions all the time based on old knowledge. We do things just because it's always been that way. But we shouldn't. We should always question, always pry, and never, ever get so bored with life that we miss the unusual.

  I've known this for as long as I can remember. In fact, I've trained myself never to assume anything. I've done a good job at it, too. Up until now.

  I had no reason to believe today would be different than any other day. Consequently, I saw with yesterday's eyes--stale, even incurious. I assumed nothing out of the ordinary would happen.

  As I dangle thirty feet over the street below, I have no choice but to assume that, well, I assumed wrong.

  Last night is a blur now. I need to review everything in my head. It may be the only way out of my current predicament.

  Last week, I was hired for my detective skills by my principal, Mr. Reese. Wow, when I think about it, he's hired me five times already this year. Anyway, Mr. Reese was worried about an upcoming event at the library. A valuable copy of The Avengers #1 comic book was scheduled to be displayed for the whole month of October.

  Why would a school library show an old comic book from 1963? It's all part of an effort by Ms. Conway, the school librarian, to get students to read more. I think it's working, too. One of my best friends, Wylie, likes to hang out in the Graphic Novel section every chance he gets.

  Wylie is a comic book superfan. He knows everything about every hero and villain. I let him blab on sometimes because I like comics too, but he can be really boring about it. During a one-hour monologue about how lame Thor's new costume was, he informed me that The Avengers #1 in mint condition was worth more than one hundred thousand dollars.

  No wonder Mr. Reese was nervous.

  So the comic book's owner, Mr. Jelly, and Ms. Conway set up the show in the library last night with a whole posse of police officers. Mr. Reese hired me to make sure the security was Shirley-proof. He assumed that if I couldn't steal it, no one could. I headed to school bright and early this morning to give them my recommendations.

  But let's start at the beginning. My current predicament started last night.

  I was researching Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the guys who created a bunch of comic book characters, including The Avengers and X-Men. Wikipedia said that The Avengers super team was created to take advantage of a new comics trend back in the 1960s, when loner heroes joined together to fight mega super villains. It was a bold, new idea at the time.

  I studied an image of the cover of Fantastic Four #1 when the cursor on my computer's monitor flickered.

  I looked at the computer control panel, which I always have running, and I noticed that some data had been sent over the Internet without my permission.

  Uh-oh.

  I checked to see if anything evil had installed itself on my hard drive.

  I was bummed to find that a small file named xpyt!mni!qbH.mt had mysteriously appeared on my system.

  It was a virus. I can spot one from a thousand pixels away.

  A virus is a computer program that reproduces itself and then spreads to other computers. It can destroy everything on your drive, or it can just throw up stupid messages. While I'm very careful about security, I need to use a USB storage key sometimes. The problem is, a key can be insecure. If you use it on an infected computer, a USB key can pass the virus around.

  Yup, the key had the file too.

  I thought it was weird that my anti-virus software didn't catch it, but when I searched online I found no mention of xpyt!mni!qbH.mt. That likely meant it was so new it hadn't even been reported yet.

  I stared at my wall. It's what I do when I need to think--clears the brain, no distractions. Something about the name of the virus file rang a bell. It worried me.

  A lot.

  My gut told me there was trouble, but I had a long night ahead of me. If I wanted to do my job well, then I had to get going.

  I yanked the computer off of the Internet and tried to put it out of my mind.

  That didn't last very long.

  Chapter Two: Avengers Assemble!

  So, early this morning, I caught a ride with Wylie and his dad, Mr. Jay. Wylie wanted to join me for the first glimpse at the comic book that's worth as much as his house.

  "I wish Ms. Conway chose X-Men #1 instead," Wylie said. "Cyclops is way cooler than Thor."

  "The guy who lent The Avengers to your school also owns Action Comics #1," Wylie's dad said. "That's the first appearance of Superman. I heard it's worth a
million bucks. That would be cool to see, wouldn't it?" Clearly, Mr. Jay is the guy who sparked Wylie's interest in super people in tights.

  "Dad, don't say cool when I say cool. It doesn't make you cool," Wylie drawled.

  "So you've told me about a thousand times," Mr. Jay shot back. I like him. He and I take turns keeping Wylie humble.

  "What's wrong with you, Shirley?" Wylie asked.

  "What? I didn't say anything."

  "You don't need to. You have that expression on your face, like you need to go to the bathroom."

  "That expression is called thinking, Wylie. You should try it some time," I said. Mr. Jay laughed.

  Did I already say I like him?

  "Fine, genius. What are you thinking now?"

  "Xpyt, mni, qbH, mt"

  They looked at each other, hoping the other one knew what the heck I was talking about.

  "It's the name of a shiny new virus I found on my computer last night. There's something about the name that I don't like, but I can't..."

  Apparently, I got lost in my thoughts. A common problem. People tell me I frown and squint until my face scrunches up into a ball. It does sound terrifying.

  "Sorry," I said, catching myself.

  Wylie rolled his eyes. "No, no. Never mind us mortals," he moaned. "We're just picking our noses over here. We'll catch up in a few years."

  "Funny," I said.

  Then it hit me. This is how it happens sometimes.

  Mortals.

  Noses!

  Wylie didn't mean to give me a clue, but...

  "Wylie, you're brilliant!" I yelled. He practically jumped in his seat.

  "What'd I do?"

  "Mortal and nose. That has me thinking. The Egyptians pulled the brain out through the nose during the mummification process. The body was preserved to respect the dead and prepare it for a second life. The ancient Egyptians perceived mortality very differently than we do."

  "Ooookay. Gross. So?"

  "So xpyt is the phonetic spelling for an ancient Egyptian word. It means death. I'll have to check on the other words too, but it's a start."

  Neither of the Jays had a clue what to say next. I helped things along.