CANALS ARE HAVING A MOMENT!Released just in time for the 200th Anniversary of the Erie Canal opening and the 200th Anniversary of the D&H Canal groundbreaking, the story will engage kids in concert with bicentennial celebrations across New York. The old Delaware & Hudson (D&H) Canal in the Catskills of New York was once a bustling water highway that fell quiet in 1898. What a perfect setting for this mystery that challenges 5th grade friends Vivian and Aiden to solve a series of clues left by an anonymous "Puzzler."Vivian and Aiden Have Two Hours to Solve a Mysterious Set of CluesOn the first day of summer vacation, best friends Vivian and Aiden find a party hat on top of Vivian's mailbox-streamers swaying in the breeze."That's weird," says Vivian. What they find inside is even weirder, and soon they're off on an adventure to solve a set of clues. The kids combine Aiden's puzzling skills with all Vivian knows about the Delaware & Hudson Canal that used to pass through their town. Mules pulled heavy boats of coal slowly along the water, all the way to the Hudson River, and the kids wish it could be that way again. Is the Puzzler a favorite teacher? The helpful librarian? The guide at th canal museum? Or is there a link to the past that Vivian and Aiden don't even suspect? What readers have to say: "Nancy Bachana's "The Key to Puzzler's Lock" is a delight for all ages! The puzzles engage the reader, moving the story to its conclusion while telling the important American story of the Delaware & Hudson Canal." BILL MERCHANT Historian and Curator at the D&H Canal Historical Society, High Falls, NY "Be prepared for a wild adventure along the Delaware & Hudson Canal, as rising fifth graders, Aiden and Vivian, have only two hours to crack the clues of a mysterious note. Inquisitive readers won't be disappointed!" ROBIN NEWMAN Author of the Wilcox & Griswold Mystery Series
