Lu and Clancy's Secret Codes

Lorraine Douglas is the youth services co-ordinator at the Winnipeg
Public Library.

This new, very appealing series will find an audience with kids as well
as educators and youth leaders. In Lu and Clancy’s Crime Science, two
dogs (Lu and Clancy), use their detective skills to solve a series of
dog-nappings in Barkerville. As young readers follow the story, they can
do the activities contained in a box on each double-page spread. These
include lifting fingerprints, figuring out the height of a suspect by
the size of a footprint, and analyzing handwriting. The story ends with
a presentation of all the clues in the case for the reader to solve.

In Lu and Clancy’s Secret Codes, the two dogs unravel the mystery of
Lu’s missing sister. Once again there are lots of neat things to do in
creating and decoding secret messages. The pin-prick codes and
tic-tac-toe codes are fun and challenging exercises.

Clearly designed and well illustrated with attractive color pictures,
both books should be a hit with kids who want to learn about detection
and secret codes. Highly recommended.