Emily and Sam: The Case of the Missing Turtle

In this “math adventure”, twins Emily and Sam are biking around their neighbourhood when they come across a box turtle. The two decide the turtle would make an excellent pet and place it in their backpack. Before going home, they consult with a zoo employee about how to take care of the turtle and then, using this knowledge, construct a pen for it in their backyard. One morning, Emily discovers the gate of the pen is open and the turtle is missing. The siblings quickly blame their friend Mateo who had expressed interest in the turtle the previous day. Emily and Sam spy on Mateo in an attempt to uncover the truth. After Mateo is seen buying lettuce and worms and putting the latter in a box in his garage, the twins are convinced he is the thief. They concoct a plan to steal back the turtle, but it turns out that Mateo has a snake in the box in his garage, not their turtle. The turtle is eventually discovered in a pile of leaves nearby and brought back to the cage where it quickly opens the gate and lets itself out again. Emily and Sam realize that the turtle escaped on its own and is probably best left to live in the wild where it belongs.

The narrative of Emily and Sam: The Case of the Missing Turtle is easy to follow and has a steady pace though the subject matter and writing are rather pragmatic. The text, including the dialogue, is formal, lacking personality or slang which might help hook young readers. Even the two main characters are interchangeable with no characteristics to distinguish one from the other. The “math adventure” part of the title sounds exciting, but this only comes into play in one chapter when the twins are trying to build a pen with a certain number of posts and a specific amount of fencing. This chapter includes charts and pictures to represent different configurations, but, even with these visual aids, it’s not very exciting to read about people solving math problems.

The black-and-white full-page cartoon-like illustrations add some visual interest and complement the text. Mitchell draws the characters with large heads which demonstrate equally large emotions. Most chapters feature at least one illustration which effectively breaks up the big chunks of text.

A couple of pages of back matter discuss box turtles, garter snakes, and where the twins last name comes from (a famous mathematician). Two pages also detail how the book fits into a “Common Core” curriculum for grade 1 math which may be of particular interest to teachers.

Emily and Sam: The Case of the Missing Turtle is a fine chapter book for more advanced early readers who enjoy straightforward narratives with neat endings. With its bit of math, and themes of responsibility and problem solving, this book will find an audience.