I started reading mysteries in third grade. I can prove it as I now own the original library books from Birch Grove Elementary and the library cards have “Sandy A. 3rd grade” written in my best cursive.
The Box Car Children Series. I read everything Gertrude Chandler Warner ever wrote. And then I read them again. These were my favorite books. Subconsciously I probably named my son Ben after the youngest boy in this series. These four boxcar children would travel and solve mysteries wherever they went. I loved that they were able to cook outside and take care of themselves. As a fan, I dreamed of living in a box car until I saw one…pretty dirty and very stark. Why Ms. Warner chose this, as a home for children is a mystery I never solved.
In fourth grade I discovered the books of Encyclopedia Brown, boy detective. These where mysteries you could read and try to solve. The answers were in the back of the book so you could see if you were right and why. It was an early introduction to Sherlock Holmes. (If you haven’t watched the BBC series Sherlock I highly recommend you do.) Encyclopedia’s real name was Leroy Brown. They only called him Encyclopedia because he was so smart. I remember seeing a set of encyclopedias in nearly every home back then. Now he would be called “Google” Brown.
Some kids really loved the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew. Interesting that I never read any of those. In fifth grade I jumped right into Stephen King and never looked back. My grade school friend Colleen was reading Salem’s Lot. It scared me to death but I loved every page. We would pile blankets and pillows in her clawfoot bathtub and read all day. Her mom would remind us not to get too scared as we still had to sleep at night. Stephen King was also the first author to put quotes at the beginning of the chapter. That was thrilling. I would try and figure out how the quote pertained to the story. His stories unfold like the greatest mysteries of all.
You might wonder how cooking is similar to a good mystery? To me it has the same excitement. How does mixing all these ingredients together make something so delicious? How can I make it better? And sometimes, what went wrong? The best way to break up winter boredom is to make these incredible snacks and open a great mystery read. Enjoy!
“Mystery is at
the heart of creativity.
That, and surprise.”
Julia Cameron
Taste of Home columnist Sandy (Anderson) Holthaus lives on a farm in South Haven, MN with her husband, Michael, and their children Zoe, Jack and Ben. Her heart remains on the North Shore where she grew up with her parents, Art and LaVonne Anderson of Schroeder. She enjoys writing about her childhood and mixes memories with delicious helpings of home-style recipes.
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