A to Z Mysteries: The X'ed-Out X-Ray

By Ron Roy

Help Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose solve mysteries from A to Z!

Kids love collecting the entire alphabet and super editions! With over 8 million copies in print, the A to Z Mysteries® have been hooking chapter book readers on mysteries and reading for years. Now this classic kid favorite is back with a bright new look!

X is for X-Ray . . . X marks the spot! When the kids go to a concert, Dink injures his arm. At the same time, the singer’s diamond necklace is stolen. Are the two mishaps connected? And could Dink’s X-ray have the answers? It’s up to Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose to examine the evidence!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Sep 2, 2009
• ISBN: 9780307549723

Reviews for A to Z Mysteries

[sweetiegherkin · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Dink, Josh, and Ruth go to a concert that turns out to be more eventful than they anticipated -- during intermission, Dink sprains his arm and the lead singer's diamond pendant is stolen as she signs autographs. Will the trio of friends be able to help solve the case and return the singer's necklace to her?I picked up this book because the A-Z Mysteries (and other Ron Roy series) are incredibly popular, but I don't think I've ever read one before. To be honest, I was not exactly impressed. Roy has been writing for decades, and this book feels a bit dated, even though it's from 2005. For instance, two important clues in the story include autograph books and newspapers -- both of which aren't something many kids have immediate access to anymore. The book is also lacking in any diversity amongst its characters.The story itself is slight and it was very obvious to me right away who the thief was -- however, the intended audience of elementary school-age children may very well be thrown off by the couple of red herrings Roy sprinkles into the story. The characters aren't particularly fleshed out, which makes entry into the series via any title easy but also doesn't exactly appeal to people like me who really enjoy characterization.

[thoughtsofjoylibrary · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A group of three friends go to a concert in the park. One of them gets injured and the singer is robbed of her diamond necklace. The kids gather clues to find the missing necklace.For a children's book (reading level 2.7), this was pretty good. The plot was laid out nicely and there were many suspects to consider. It could bring about great discussions in a book group. I think this series (A to Z Mysteries) would be a great introduction to the mystery genre and a fun read for young mystery lovers. (4/5)Originally posted on: Thoughts of Joy

[angelalam-300700 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ah, yes....I do enjoy the A to Z mysteries...and I'm not a mystery person. This book started out great--a concert, three kids, everyone dressed up in costume--and ended up a real puzzler that could not be solved until the ending.

[elizajane_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Reason for Reading: As every year, I am participating in the AtoZ Challenge. For the first time, this year I only have the X's left and I will have completed it so I decided to actively search out books. My niece did a little research and came up with this title for me. I had heard of the series before.The kids, age unspecified, have tickets to go see a famous singer who is coming to town with the nickname "Penguin". One of their Dad's takes them to the outdoor concert but while there during intermission Dink injures his arm. While this is going on the singer's special diamond penguin necklace is stolen. The kids get involved in the mystery and think they know who may be behind the robbery.Going into this book blind, not knowing whether the series has positive reviews or not I didn't know what to suspect. So I was pleasantly surprised to find myself with a fun little mystery that I thoroughly enjoyed for this early reading level. Well told, interesting, with several possible suspects it should keep young mystery fans entertained. I found myself quickly reading the book in one sitting and deciding to get the first book in the series for my son since it is on target for reading level for him. He is a reluctant reader and this series may just catch his fancy.

[mzonderm · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A fun little mystery for kids, where the thief is the one not suspected until the last minute. The kid-detectives use realistic methods to get clues, and are able to catch the culprit with the help of their policeman-friend.