Lu and Clancy's Secret Languages

Anne Hutchings, a former elementary-school teacher-librarian with the
Durham Board of Education, is an educational consultant.

Lu and Clancy, the doggy detective duo, are at it again. Lu and
Clancy’s Secret Languages requires the canine gumshoes to use all
their skills to discover where jewel thieves Leonardo and Grump have
stashed their loot. In order to decipher the clues, Lu and Clancy must
learn to speak a variety of “furrin” languages, read pictograms and
messages written in invisible “ink,” and even interpret body
language before they are able to bring the culprits to justice and
retrieve the jewels.

In The Vanishing Cat they are joined by Ruckus and Ruby on a cruise.
The four friends avail themselves of many shipboard activities: deep-sea
diving, “snuffleboard,” and even become part of Awesome Arabella’s
magic show. They learn the tricks behind several of Arabella’s
illusions. In fact, they become so adept that when Arabella (along with
the jewels she “borrowed” from other passengers) tries a vanishing
act, they are able to foil her and perform a final magic trick: turning
“a cat into a bird—a jailbird that is.” Directions for several
tricks are interspersed throughout the story so young readers can try
their skill at performing Arabella’s Cone Trick, Ruby’s Remarkable
Rope Trick and others as they follow the adventures of Lu, Clancy and
their friends.

Each double-page spread features a different activity for young readers
to try. Several of the languages are quite complicated, going way beyond
the “pig-Latin” familiar to many of us. Fortunately, the author
provides us with translations in the back of the book. Youngsters will
enjoy writing secret messages with invisible “inks” and chuckle over
the riddles at the end of each chapter. Children in late primary grades
and up will find these attractively designed and colorfully illustrated
story-cum-activity books appealing. Recommended.