Enigma: A Magical Mystery by Graeme BaseMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Published: 2008Abrams Books for Young Readers
Ages: 5-7
Pages: 48
This book is very cool. I'm not breaking this one down in the usual way because while it is a mystery with a detective, a case, and clues to find it does not go about it in the usual route. However, I had to add it to my collection of picture book mysteries because it's just such a neat book. Let me explain!
Young Bertie Badgerstone loves to visit his grandfather in the retirement home for elderly magicians and entertainers. Whenever he's there, Grandpa Badger puts on a special magic show just for him. Grandpa was once the world famous Gadzooks the Great, and among other tricks, he could make a rabbit disappear from his hat.
But one day Bertie visits to discover that there will be no magic show that day
because his grandfather's hat, cape, and cane have gone missing. Bertie swears to discover the thief and goes around the retirement home asking questions. 
Author Graeme Base
Bertie interviews every resident, only to learn that they are all missing their key magical items as well. A babushka doll, a queen of hearts card, set of five rings, cup&ball set, jar of crackers, three jade bells, a Mystic Sphinx of Sleep, and a magic rope are all missing.
Bertie is unable to find the items and after being accused of theft himself he returns to his grandfather's room. Grandfather is saddened by the lose of his things, but he morns the loss of his best friend, the rabbit Enigma, the most. He and Enigma had traveled the world together, and Grandpa Badger was worried about him.
Hearing this, Enigma crawls out of his hiding place under the bed and admits that he was the thief all along. Enigma was jealous that he never got to be the great magician and had to retire without ever once seeing the spotlight. So he'd stolen the items to create his own show. He'd made a list of where they were with a secret code, but now he's forgotten the code, the key to the code, and doesn't remember where the items are all hidden.
Bertie saves the day by replacing the items with objects he happened to have in his bag, but the mystery goes unsolved.
This left me feeling disappointed. How are you going to have the protagonist state that he'll find the items and then he never does. I was honestly perplexed. But then I turned to the last page of the book and discovered the game.
There is a book inside the back cover of this book. Inside that book is the key the cypher but Enigma created. Decode it using clues inside the illustrations. Then you're able to read notes left all over the beautifully detailed illustrations. The items are hidden in the pictures, as well as Enigma himself.
So Bertie isn't the real detective, the reader is! Talk about sparking a love of mystery in young readers! I can imagine my eight-year-old-self being absolutely obsessed with cracking this code, and finding every clue on every page.
Animals? Mysteries? Secret codes!? Graeme Base was speaking my language.
Unfortunately, as an adult I didn't have time to sit and really decypher the whole code. I did find Enigma in every picture though, that was fun.
I give this book a ten out of ten for pure entertainment. This book may keep an older kid occupied for hours, or even days depending on their attention span. This would be a great book to introduce to a child who enjoys puzzles right before any long care trip or boring adult event.
This book ranges between eighteen and twenty dollars on Amazon. For all the added entertainment it brings with solving the puzzles and searching the wonderful illustrations for clues I think it's worth the price.
Graeme Base is an writer and illustrator of some note. Check out his other works for more of incredible art.
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Thank you, and I'll see you on the next page!