Carol Ann Martin

Wodge leans over the garden bed as the shadows grow longer, tracing a line of muddy footprints that zigzag toward the old oak. The clue feels ordinary at first—a scuffed edge of a note, a seed packet with a label peeled away—but the surprise is how quickly the ordinary twists into a puzzle the whole block can’t ignore. As the sun sinks, the kids in Wodge’s circle sift through rumors and quiet observations with a mix of stubborn optimism and mischief, learning that trust is a kind of map itself. When a stage whisper from Take the Stage’s arrival shows up on a doorstep, the group must decide whether to chase a lead that promises glory or guard a friend’s secret from a neighborhood that loves to gossip. The mystery in the garden isn’t about monsters or villains; it’s about choices, and the courage to keep going when the path isn’t clear.