First Part of Clue Books

1. Bobby Kramer was sending emails to his high school friends one afternoon, when he received an unusual email.  “I’m from a distant galaxy, and I’m a being of superior intelligence.  I’ve hacked into Earth’s email, and I’ve learned English. After reading through lots of emails, I’ve chosen to email with you.”  Bobby showed the email to his younger sister Judy.  They laughed. Bobby played along with this new ‘buddy’, building an email friendship.  Bobby and Judy gave the “Alien” the name “Allie” for short, and they were humored and a bit suspicious of Allie as they chatted with him. 

2. It was summer, and Bobby and Judy were helping their father in his jewelry store.  One day, their father took them into the room with the safe, and said, “I have something special to show you.”  He opened the safe, and took out a beautiful Chinese porcelain pot.  Inside was a purple cloth. He took out the purple cloth, and when he unfolded it he showed them six beautiful gems.  “These are very rare and precious jewels”, he told them. “They’re from an ancient Chinese collection.  I’ve borrowed heavily to buy them, and I can make a big profit from selling them.”

3. That afternoon a tall man in a black rain coat came into the store, saying he had heard about the Chinese jewelry collection, and he wanted to take a look at the jewels.  He looked at each stone very carefully.  When he was told the price, he said, “Though I represent a group that would love to buy these beautiful gems, the price is just too steep for us. Good luck with them.”

4. The next day, two men came in also saying they had heard about the Chinese jewels.  After examining them, they said they were willing to pay the price that Mr. Kramer was asking for them.  They took out a thick envelope of bills.  After Bobby and his sister counted the bills, Mr. Kramer gave the jewels to the two men.  They said, “These will find a good home in the museum that we represent.  They are very beautiful jewels.”  They shook hands.  

5. Mr. Kramer went to the bank to deposit the money, and he repaid the loan.  When he returned he said to Bobby and Judy, “At the end of the summer, we’ll go on a beautiful vacation with part of the profit from this sale.”

6. A few days later, the two men who had bought the jewels returned. They said that an appraiser had examined the jewels carefully, and found that they were fakes. “Take back the counterfeit jewels.  The people we represent said that we must have the real jewels or our money back.” They looked quite angry, and then left.

7. Mr. Kramer looked shocked and very worried.  He took Bobby and Judy into the back room, and said, “My insurance doesn’t cover the price of these jewels.  If I have to pay back for the jewels, we will be ruined �" all our years of building the business will be over.”

8. When Mr. Kramer came home with Bobby and Judy, he told his wife. Over dinner, they were trying to figure out what happened.  “I had the jewels appraised when I bought them.  What happened to the real jewels? If we don’t find out, we’ll be financially ruined.”

9. Bobby went into his room, and emailed Allie, telling him what happened.  A few minutes later Allie sent back an email. “I’ve read lots of other emails, and I’ve figured out what happened.  However, unfortunately I can’t tell you.  I have permission to email you. But I’ve been told that to reveal to you what happened is to interfere with your free will.  However, I think there is something that I can do to help. I’ll get back to you soon.”

10. Later that evening, Bobby got another email from Allie. It said, “In the past, people on the Earth have been recommended books that contain clues about how to solve their problems.  So I’ve scanned many books, and here is what I can do for you.  I’m going to recommend six children’s books to you.  They contain clues about your situation. If you read them in the order I recommend, you may be able to figure out how to solve your situation.”

11. Bobby couldn’t believe what he was reading.  After a moment’s hesitation, he invited his parents and Judy into his room, to read the email on the screen.  He explained to them about Allie.  He said, “I don’t know whether to take this seriously or not.”  Just then, Allie sent another email. “These are the books that I recommend.” 

The King’s Fountain, by Lloyd Alexander
The Empty Pot, by Demi.
The Lost Kingdom of Karnica, by Richard Kennedy
Mr. Tamarin’s Trees, by Kathryn F. Ernst
Mirette on the Highwire, by Emily Arnold McCully
The Seeing Stick by Jane Yolen

“If you read these books in the order I listed them, you may be able to figure out what happened.  It’s the best that I can do.  I’ve checked, and they are all available in your local library. Good luck.  ”