Hey hey, here’s one postmarked “Seattle WA,” one of the best places that I haven’t been to yet.
There’s a great sentence in this letter, a unique insight that I’ve never heard expressed exactly this way before. I wonder if you’ll find it.
Keala wrote:
I replied:
Dear Keala,
What a nice name! My name, of course, is James. Or Jim. Or Jimmy. Or, hey, we’re friends — you can even call me Jimbo.
Just don’t call me “Worm,” like my brothers used to do. I wasn’t too crazy about that nickname. I mean, seriously. Worm. Do I look like a worm to you?
Don’t answer that!
Maybe we should stick with “Mr. Preller.”
Cover by the great illustrator, R.W. Alley. I’m so grateful for his terrific contributions to the series.
Thanks for reading my books. I have great fondness for The Case of the Buried Treasure. Even the opening sentence tickles my fancy:
“It all started when the little round thing-a-ma-whoosie fell off the whatsit on Big Maloney’s chair.”
Ah, the discovery of the secret message and the start of Jigsaw’s most complicated mystery. I’m so glad you liked it.
There’s an idea in that book — that the treasure can be found under the “Big Y” — that I borrowed from one of my favorite movies from childhood. It was called “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.” At that time, back in 1963, they used the word “mad” to mean “crazy.” They still do today, I guess, just not as often. In that movie, which is super funny (and crazy!), the treasure is hidden under the “Big W.”
Here’s a shot from the movie to help you understand:
I was especially happy to read that you felt you could understand the mystery. Do you know what that tells me? Keala must be a smart cookie! Because I tried to make that mystery really tricky. It’s not easy. But somehow you followed along and figured it out. Must be all those books you’ve read.
Better be careful or you are going to grow a big brain.
A huge, gigantic brain!
And you’ll need to buy all new hats.
Thanks for your letter, Keala. Have the best summer ever — why not? And keep reading books, any books at all, even mine.
Your friend,
James Preller
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