The Case of the Missing Mangoes: a book club kit

Where it comes from. One of Peabody's own stories.

In short (for the leader; it gives the ending away). Thirty-one mangoes have vanished from Mr. Abara's tree, and he blames the boy who fills a bucket at his tap. Ten-year-old Zuri, who will not name a suspect until she has three clues, measures a footprint, studies the half-eaten fruit and checks the branches. The clues point somewhere surprising: the thieves are not who he thinks.

Reading plan. Read it together at the meeting: about 10 minutes aloud, or ahead of time at home.

Questions to talk about

1. Who took the mangoes in The Case of the Missing Mangoes?
   The story's answer: Not the boy Mr. Abara blames. Zuri's three clues show that fruit bats worked the high branches at night, and squirrels came over the wall for some of the rest. Samir was innocent, and Mr. Abara says sorry to him.
2. What are the three clues in the story?
   The story's answer: A flip-flop footprint by the tap, which could belong to a boy or a grown-up; half-eaten mangoes with tiny holes and chewed wads of fruit; and the thin high branches, which could not have held a person. Together they clear Samir and point to animals.
3. What reading level is The Case of the Missing Mangoes?
   The story's answer: It is Peabody level 10, about a fifth-grade reading level. It has fuller scenes, some dialogue and a few words to work out from the sentence around them, and it comes as a printable passage with six questions and an answer key.
4. What do fruit bats eat?
   The story's answer: Fruit bats eat ripe fruit such as mangoes and figs, and many also drink nectar from flowers. They often chew a fruit, swallow the juice and spit out the pulp, so you may find chewed wads on the ground. Fruit bats also spread seeds and pollen, which helps plants grow.
5. Which character changed the most from the beginning to the end?
   Listen for: Ask what changed them.
6. Which scene would you put on the poster if this were a film?
   Listen for: A way to find the scene that mattered most to each reader.

Did you know?

• It is an original Peabody mystery at level 10, written for readers around fifth grade, about 1,200 words long.
• Zuri's rule is that she names no suspect until she has three clues, and she writes each one down.
• Fruit bats are real fruit eaters: they chew the fruit, swallow the juice and drop the rest, which is why half-eaten fruit can fall from a tree at night.

Activity: Cast the film

Choose who would play each character, draw the poster with your scene on it, and give the film a one-line tagline.