The Mystery of the Merry Magician

 The Mystery of the Merry Magician (1954) by Ellery Queen, Jr.

Gulliver Queen comes to New York to spend a year with his famous uncle, Ellery Queen, and his grandfather, Inspector Queen. Currently, it's summer and Gully is looking forward to a week-long camping trip with Uncle Ellery. But Ellery gets called in by the government to investigate some strange goings on down on the New Orleans waterfront--reports of the sighting of strange creatures. So, he leaves his nephew with a notebook and tells him to taken notes from anyone who shows up wanting Ellery to take on a case. All he wants Gully to do is report the facts.

So, when Fisty Jones, a boy about Gully's age, is sent by Inspector Queen's old friend Captain Foster to consult the famous detective Gully sets out to do just that. But he soon becomes friends with Fisty--as well as Captain Foster's granddaughter Peggy--and the three can't resist doing a little investigating...er, fact-gathering. Fisty has seen what he can only describe as a space monster (all black, sleek, and one-eyed) and there are also odd thumping and pounding noises that seem to rise up out of the sea under Foster's barge. Gully can't resist getting more and more involved and runs up against a menacing tattooed man, the merry little Magnus Merlin (who is an extraordinary magician & his little dog Banjo, as well as the tall, slender man who lurks about watching Merlin. The teens make friends with Ryan, the nightwatchman, who takes their stories of late-night creatures and weird sounds seriously. And when Ryan is attacked, the three friends are even more determined to get to the bottom of the mystery. Once they figure out what's really going on, they're going to need Inspector Queen and Sergeant Velie...and little Banjo...to round up the bad guys.

This is a fun, adventurous mystery from a much simpler and innocent time--or at least from a time when the books written for kids were more innocent. Gully is a teenager and just having fun solving a mystery with his friends. I've seen a review saying how "unrealistic" it is for a teenage boy to behave the way Gully does. But, honestly, it's kind of nice to not have Gully swearing like a sailor and trying to get it on with Peggy. And there is danger--the boys get tied up and threatened by the bad guys (not just once, but twice), so it's not quite as innocent as, say, the Bobbsey Twins. I enjoyed the visit with Ellery's nephew and I know that I would have enjoyed the book even more if I had discovered it when I was reading the Hardy Boys and the Three Investigators. ★★★and 1/2

First line: When Ellery Queen opened the door and walked into his apartment, his nephew was sprawled on the floor, hidden by a tall-backed easy chair.

Last line: And Gulliver Queen saw his famous uncle's sharp eyes grow even sharper with wonder and admiration, and his own eyes shone with sheer happiness.