44. The Ninth Nugget

Title: The Ninth Nugget
Author: Ron Roy
Illustrator: John Steven Gurney
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Copyright Date: 2001
Number of Pages:
Reading Level: 9+
Genre: Mystery

Summary
After helping a man get back his winning lottery ticket the kids are sent to Bozeman Montana as a reward for their help. Jud shows up to pick them up from the airport. They are headed to a dude ranch for a whole week. The kids find out quickly that the ranch isn’t doing so well and they are tight on money. The kids get all there stuff unpacked and go to dinner with everyone else. There they meet the rest of the ranch hands and the other guests. There is a newly married couple, Ma, Pa, Thumbs, Mr. Getz, the three kids, Fiona, Jud and the cook. Thumbs is a little creepy to the kids. He takes all the guests to go panning for gold the next day. Everyone has found a small nugget but Josh. Josh goes upstream to try and find more gold and falls into the stream he pulls out his hand and has a gold nugget the size of a potato. Everyone congratulates Josh on his find. When they get back to the ranch Pa suggests that Josh put the nugget in the safe for protection. They all go on a horse ride but Mr. Gets twists his leg and has to stay behind. Fiona stays as well to look after him. The guests have to come home early because a storm sets in. When they get back to the ranch they find the cook, Fiona and Mr. Getz tied or handcuffed and the safe is open and the nugget is missing. Everyone suspects someone else on the ranch and the sheriff is called in to help solve the mystery. Nothing can be done so everyone goes to dinner. Thumbs isn’t at the table and Josh thinks that he did it. The kids meet up and decide to go and search the suspect’s cabins. Thumbs’ cabin seems to be the most suspicious but there is no real evidence. When the kids regroup at their cabin they notice Mr. Getz hobbling back to his cabin. They see him in the window as he puts down the crutches and packs up all his stuff. He was faking! The kids see him pack away the gold nugget and act fast. Josh lassos Mr. Getz when he comes out and Ruth Rose rings the dinner bell. Everyone comes running out and the thief is caught. The next day Pa offers to take Josh into town to sell the nugget but he says that he will donate to saving the ranch. Ma and cook are told he wants a kiss as a reward by Ruth Rose but Josh runs away just in time.

Recommendation
I would recommend this to kids who like mysteries and figuring out puzzles.

Problems/Conflict
They suspected Thumbs first based on appearance. Everyone found a nugget which is not very realistic. Okay maybe it is.

My Reaction
I enjoyed this book and guessing who I thought did it. I thought it was Thumbs for the first part then they introduced Mr. Getz as a magician. I then thought the rest of the time that it was him and was sure when Dink found the stethoscope in his cabin. I had fun reading this book because it was so interactive.