The Case of the Ancient American

The Case of the Ancient American describes the daily life of four public school kids: Tommy, Dick, Mary (a.k.a. Brains) and Bobby. The first three are each ten years old and in Grade 5. Bobby is twelve, in Grade 6 and is a bit of a bully. After school, Bobby attacks the other three and they run to safety to a Neighborhood Watch home. There they meet an old retired Sea Captain. The kids visit the Sea Captain from time to time and he tells them stories about his life.
Tommy’s uncle, who is a detective on the local police force, gives a presentation at school on police work. The talk inspires the three to form a detective club to solve mysteries.
They go fishing in the St. Lawrence River, golfing at a local club and finally, at the urging of the Sea Captain, include Bobby in their club to provide the brawn to complement Mary’s Brain. As a team, they do some detecting on behalf of the Captain. They produce a report of their findings.
The Sea Captain’s stories provide traces of history lessons. The police work described by Tommy’s uncle provides insight into that sort of work. The various adventures provide an opportunity to explain rules, safety measures and games that kids play.
The later chapters of the book provide information on the Publisher, on the city of Brockville, the setting for the story and on how to contact the author and publisher.