Kiki's 3-Minute Mysteries

By ML Tang

How do you tell when someone is not telling the truth? How do you figure out why something weird happens? Join Kiki as he solves 18 little mysteries. Young readers will be able to use their own analytical skills to solve the mysteries themselves. Parents can read these short mysteries with their children and compete to see who can solve the mysteries first.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Select Books
• Release date: Mar 19, 2014
• ISBN: 9789810798017

ML Tang

M.L. Tang has worked in journalism for more than 12 years, mainly in children's and parenting magazines. One of her fiction works was shortlisted for a David T.K. Wong Fellowship, offered by the University of East Anglia, UK. She currently freelances as a writer and happily keeps her husband and three love-to-laugh sons company.

Book preview

Introduction

I have always been a fan of mini-mysteries. While my past creations of mini-mysteries in Singapore magazines had often been written with friends and former colleagues in mind (using their names or nicknames and our collective experiences), the characters in this book are fictional, and created for fun-bonding throughout the book.

In this book, Kiki is the Main Brain with the eleventh finger. His character shows that it’s okay to be different, because you can be smart in your own way, too. Manu and Jin are his supportive friends, important people each and every one of us needs in our lives. Family and the extended family are also central in this book.

Many mini-mystery stories are focused on crime scenes, but the fact is: we are surrounded by life’s little mysteries all the time. Kiki’s 3-Minute Mysteries mostly draws on observations and attention to detail in daily life that can be refined in all of us. Awareness of our surroundings and situations can help us understand others and ourselves, and explain why things happen the way they do. Sharpening our senses, communicating in a civilised manner, as well as keeping an open mind on perspectives are important skills to acquire, given the rush-to-voice, quick-to-judge tendencies so abundant in today’s Internet culture.

I would like to say a big thank you to my publisher, Hwye Min, for his priceless support and input on the book; Dr. Jean-Paul Ly for his expert opinion on cats; Veronica for her spot-on illustrations; my middle son Cyan for his perceptive suggestions; and my young readers for the support they have given me in the past. And certainly, this book would not have been possible without the steadfast love and constant cheerleading of my dearest husband, Barry, and our three wonderful sons.

I hope you will have fun with the stories as much as I had fun writing them.

ML Tang

1. Durian, Durian

As a member of the virtual Shinmen clan, 12-year-old Ho Wing Ki a.k.a. Shinichi whipped out his samurai swords – in preparation for the boss battle.

By his side, Kiki’s best friend, Manu a.k.a. ChopSuey, from the Hang Tuah clan, brandished his keris. Close behind were classmates Zul a.k.a. Zulu, a Hang Tuah, Jin a.k.a. RobsRich, from the light-footed Zhou Tong clan, poised with bow and arrow, and Justin Beiber Lim, another Zhou Tong.

The five were in the pristine forest map of Ashia, where the trees displayed jade-like leaves and fruit that sparkled like rubies or gold. Here, the boys knew, lay danger and excitement.

There was a sound of a key turning and then the front gate opened. In came Wing Ki’s Mama, with her pink pixie haircut. I’ve bought back five durian puffs for tea, boys, she announced. I’ll put them in the fridge. Tea at three o’clock together, all right? I’ll go have a snooze first, Kiki.

Okay, thanks Mama, murmured Kiki. Manu accidentally knocked the mouse out of Kiki’s grasp. "Oi lah," growled Kiki, but quickly reclaimed his mouse with the agile six fingers on his right hand. Thirty-three seconds was all it took for Babah, the ape boss, to go down.

Presently, Manu rubbed his tummy. Durian puffs, he smacked his lips.

You can’t eat it before three, Kiki eyed his chubby friend sternly. It’s two-thirty now, Manu glanced at the clock. I’ll just go and look, okay? He disappeared into the kitchen, and in less than a minute, he ambled out.

Don’t worry, I didn’t touch a thing, he said as he sank back into his chair. "It smelt sooo good, though."

There was a jangling of