THE PURPLE BIRD MYSTERY

That smug sense of reader superiority can belong to the boy or girl in the youngest part of this age group, especially if they've read any of the other Queen, Jr. mysteries featuring Djuna, boy detective (The Blue Herring Mystery -- 1954, The Brown Fox -- 1948). Djuna finds lost valuables in a sort of pun-it-who-dun-it technique. On the bottom drawer of an antique chest are burned the words, ""Fowl Relief in Purple Bird."" The chest belongs to Jimmy Douglas, Djuna's new-found friend whose family had lost, two generations back, a jewel encrusted talisman dating from King Henry VIII. Jimmy's father is a golf pro and when the boys aren't sleuthing their way to the true meaning of the words, they're learning the caddy trade, some golf history and its special vocabulary. Djuna and Nancy Drew are probably related, although Djuna's side of the family has better author connections. Brand name escape.