The Riddle of the Stolen Sand

A Case That's Tougher To Crack Than An Oyster Shell. Everybody loves Mr. Roper. He gives kids free candy or ice cream when their parents shop at his grocery store. So when he's accused of selling stolen oysters, Mr. Merlin's Third-Grade Detectives don't believe it. But can they prove it? Mr. Merlin's secret codes have the Detectives looking for clues at the beach, at rival oyster farms, and even in a garbage truck -- yuck! It turns out pearls aren't the only valuable thing you can get from oysters -- you can also get evidence to help solve a baffling mystery!

George Stanley was a Professor of African and Middle-Eastern Languages and Linguistics at Cameron University. In between prepping class lectures and grading papers, he found the time to write for children. He was also the author of Night Fires and the Third-Grade Detectives series.

Salvatore Murdocca has illustrated more than 200 children’s trade and textbooks. He is also a librettist for children’s opera, a video artist, an avid runner, hiker, bicyclist, and a teacher of children’s illustration at the Parsons School of Design. Sal lives and works in New York with his wife, Nancy.