The Mystery of the Missing Mask
The Mystery of the Missing Mask
“This incredibly rare [Galiano Grizzly Mask] is over 200 years old and was collected by the Spanish explorer Dionisio Galiano on his expedition to Nootka Sound in 1792. Later that year he gave it to Captain George Vancouver when they explored Georgia Strait together. Not only is it one of the oldest remaining examples of a coastal First Nations mask, but it is also an important part of our maritime history.
The mask disappeared shortly after George Vancouver’s death. Everyone assumed it was lost forever until Captain Phillips discovered it in a London pawnshop 30 years ago.”
…
“Today,” [the curator] went on, “thanks to the generous bequest of Captain Phillips and the hard work of his daughter, Sylvia Francis, this mask and all of Captain Phillips’s collection will be available for everyone to see, right here at the Maple Harbour Museum.”
The Mystery of the Missing Mask begins as Ryan and Kendra arrive in Maple Harbour to visit their cousins, Nathan and Claire, in the summer. The mystery starts immediately as the kids attend a ceremony at the local museum featuring the Galiano Grizzly Mask, an artifact which is then stolen that very night. There are subtle clues throughout the story as to whom the thief is and how the mask was stolen. Everything reaches a climatic point, including a chase. Of course, as Ryan and Kendra are enjoying their summer vacation in Maple Harbour, readers will also read about an abundant number of summer activities, including sailing and building a tree house with found lumber.
The Mystery of the Missing Mask is the second story in the “Maple Harbour Adventures”, the first being Adventure on Whalebone Island, (Vol. XXIV, No. 39, June 8, 2018) and Wilson continues to present a solid adventure story into which is mixed some moral lessons, marine biology, history, and aspects of coastal living. For city readers, their learning about coastal living and vicariously experiencing Ryan and Kendra’s summer activities will certainly give them a newfound understanding and love for nature and the environment.
Well written, The Mystery of the Missing Mask includes appealing illustrations that are sprinkled throughout the story.
Alicia Cheng is a librarian at the Vancouver Public Library in Vancouver, British Columbia.