These characters, however, didn't hold a candle to the town of Pennywhistle in a land where ordinary magic and enchantment exist. In this town, you could tell the bread to jump into the toaster and the bed to make itself.

But when Hobart comes to spend a week with his grandfather and Flora, something starts happening to all of the enchanted items in the town. The bread refuses to jump into the toaster, and when you tell the bed to make itself, well, you might as well just yell at the blankets for all the good it does. Hobart thinks it is just a curious thing until his grandfather is arrested and imprisoned for draining the magic from the land. Hobart and his friends decide that it's time to get to the bottom of the mystery.

The friends' attempts at being sleuths are hilarious. There are lots of suspects and lots of false leads, which any good mystery should have. There are also some great villains. I had a great time reading The Misadventures of Hobart Hucklebuck. Though there are Harry Potter-type elements to the story, there is more of a Hardy Boys feel, with maybe some old-fashioned slapstick thrown in.

Another Hobart Hucklebuck story is in the works. Kids will want to continue reading about Hobart and his friends.