Jigsaw: Mystery in the Mail by Bob Graham
Published by Candlewick Press on July 5, 2022
ISBN: 1536224995
Pages: 40
Genres: Mystery
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads

A family gets a mysterious jigsaw puzzle in the mail by an anonymous sender. The family opens the jigsaw puzzle box and decides to work on the puzzle together. Sadly, one of the jigsaw pieces goes missing and the family members must investigate and find the missing jigsaw piece.

This book misses its mark when trying to introduce young readers to the concept of mystery. Readers are aware where the jigsaw piece is hiding, which loses the mystery aspect. Also, readers do not discover the identity of the anonymous sender which leaves readers with no closure at the end. The watercolor and ink illustrations do help readers follow the plot of the story. There might be a demand for this book because of the popularity of the author, but there are definitely better books that introduce young readers to the genre of mystery.

Reviewed by Brandon Dyer, Auburn Public Library