Figurehead of the Folly and Strange Pettingill Puzzle by Augusta Seaman

In The Figurehead of the Folly, Joan goes to stay in Miss McKeever's boarding house for her summer vacation.  Joan works for her board by taking care of Mary Lou, who is an invalid.  Joan quickly becomes acquainted with the residents of the boarding house.  Mr. Doane keeps a figurehead in his room along with some ship models.

One night a prowler messes with Mr. Doane's figurehead, causing it to fall.  Joan and Mary Lou suspect a mystery surrounds the figurehead, and they watch for clues as they keep an eye on the other boarders.

This story would make an excellent play.  Almost the entire story takes place inside the house with characters entering and leaving.  A play based on this story would be wonderful.

This is an excellent story.  The characters are described well and really come to life.  The mystery is interesting.

The Strange Pettingill Puzzle contains two stories.

"The Strange Pettingill Puzzle" was reprinted as The Riddle of the Lonely House by Scholastic.

In "The Strange Pettingill Puzzle," Peter and Christine are staying in a cottage on the seashore for the summer.  Soon after their arrival, they meet Alan Pettingill, who shows them a way to get into an abandoned old mansion.  The young people discover a prowler in the vicinity and try to figure out who it is.  Meanwhile, Alan's family was supposed to inherit the old mansion, but the will was never found.  The young people search for it.

This is a very good story.

In "The Curious Case of Callista," two members of the Four-Corners Hobby Club come into possession of an old doll named Callista.  The children uncover a mystery concerning the doll and hunt for clues.

"The Curious Case of Callista" is for younger children, and I did not enjoy it.  The story has too many extremely detailed explanations of ordinary events.  I was bored and skimmed the story.