- Chapter Books
- Ages 9–12
- Mystery
The Magpie Riddle
Book 2 of 3 in Goldfish BoyView the full series
A companion mystery to The Goldfish Boy, told by Melody Bird: she finds a boy hiding in an abandoned house in the graveyard who claims to be a spy tracking a criminal. A page-turning puzzle of riddles and secrets that is really about learning who you can trust.
- Best for9–12
- FormatChapter
- Length304 pp
- Read aloud~4 hr20 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
- Literary
Tone
- Suspenseful
- Exciting
- Heartwarming
- Thought provoking
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Melody Bird loves the quiet of the graveyard, so when she discovers an abandoned house in its far corner she can't resist exploring, and finds a boy called Hal hiding inside. Hal says he's a spy-in-training, using the house as a base to keep watch on a dangerous local criminal, and he needs Melody's help to decode the strange riddles he keeps finding among the headstones. Melody, still wary of being lied to after her parents' break-up, wants desperately to believe him, but her friends Matthew and Jake are convinced Hal is hiding something. So they turn the tables and start spying on the spy, and the closer they get to the truth the bigger the mystery becomes. A companion to Lisa Thompson's bestselling The Goldfish Boy (first published as The Graveyard Riddle), this is a warm, twisty middle-grade mystery about riddles, secrets and the hard work of deciding who deserves your trust, starring the friends from Chestnut Close.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
A 9-12 mystery for readers who like riddles and detective work with real feeling underneath. The puzzle plot carries confident nine-year-olds; the thread of Melody's difficulty trusting people after a family break-up gives it depth for older readers. A companion to The Goldfish Boy that also stands on its own.
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- Best fit · 9–12
- Read aloud · 9–12
- Independent · 9–12
Prose load
Moderate
Visual support
None
Reluctant-reader friendly
Workable
Read-aloud quality
Workable
Preview before sharing if a child is sensitive to: parental separation, mental health.
Bedtime suitability
2 / 5 · Better outside bedtime
Sensitive-child
3 / 5 · Mostly fine
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Mystery lovers
- Puzzle and code fans
- Emotional realism
Avoid if
- Wants light bedtime read
Particularly good for children who are…
- Parents separating or divorcing
- Making friends
- Anxiety and worry
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
Melody finds a real spy hiding out in a graveyard, complete with riddles to crack, but is he telling the truth? Turning the tables to secretly investigate him is brilliantly satisfying, and the codes and clues keep you guessing right up to a twist you won't see coming.
- Being a detective
- Having a secret base
- Trickery and cleverness
Why parents love it
A satisfying whodunnit that quietly explores why Melody finds it so hard to trust, after her parents' separation, without ever slowing the puzzle down. It carries the same warmth and craft as The Goldfish Boy and works equally well read alone or aloud.
- Conversation starter
- Great writing
In the series
Goldfish Boy.
3 books · open the series →
About the creators
About the creators.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
More like this…
Books that share themes and topics with this one.
