An unnamed girl detective leads readers through the real-life "history mystery" of an abandoned ship from 1872. Capable watercolors portraying shipboard scenes also include definitions of unfamiliar words and supplemental nautical information. Theories about what happened to the crew are presented at the end, while questions pointing to clues in the text encourage critical thinking. Bib.

Hoping to follow in the footsteps of her father, a detective, the child narrator takes on the historical mystery of a merchant ship called the Mary Celeste In 1872, the ship set sail carrying a captain, his wife, his daughter, a crew of seven, and a cargo of petroleum. Nearly three weeks later, another ship discovered the Mary Celeste unmanned and adrift. The supplies and cargo were intact, but no signs of violence were seen, and no one aboard was ever found. Alongside the text, in which the narrator tells what is known of the mysterious voyage, pages from her notebook appear with background information about the case. The book offers six theories of what happened, raises questions related to each, and leaves it to the reader to mull over the evidence and, possibly, reach a conclusion. Boxes with defined words supply an ongoing glossary. The three kinds of boxed text on each spread, give this picture book a visually chopped format. Still, Roger Roth's handsome watercolor-and-pencil artwork is absorbing. An intriguing book for history buffs, mystery buffs, and classroom discussion. (Reviewed October 15, 1999)

<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">PWsaid that this tale of a crewless ship, the <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Mary Celeste, found adrift in 1872, "may well have amateur sleuths lying awake at night." Ages 6-up. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(July)