The Talkative Tombstone by Ursula Dubosarsky

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The Cryptic Casebook of Coco Carlomagno bk. 6. Ill. by Terry Denton. Allen & Unwin, 2014. ISBN 9781743319529
(Age: 7-9) Recommended. Buenos Aires Chief of Police Coco Carlomagno is in a terrible state, he needs the assistance of his cousin Alberta to solve another Argentine mystery. She travels to the city with her celery sticks, a torch, crossword puzzles and a fake moustache in a brown paper bag; this case calls for the two guinea pigs to be disguised. They travel on the Subte, the underground railway to the grand cemetery of Chacarita, without stopping at the famous churro factory nearby. The graves are small houses set alongside little streets and Coco is extremely worried about the strange noises coming from one of them. Alberta courageously ventures inside and solves the mystery behind the talking tombstone.
Terry Denton's humorous sketches of the detectives in action are combined with puzzles, mazes, codes and cryptic clues to make this another great addition to the series. Fans will enjoy reading about the crime fighting cousins, who solve two more mysteries in this junior novel. A glossary of Spanish words is included at the end.
Recommended for readers from 7-9 years.
Rhyllis Bignell

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