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Illustration by R.W. Alley from Jigsaw Jones: The Case of the Hat Burglar.
Pretty perfect, right?
Mostly I just wanted to share that fabulous illustration. The idea for this mystery — probably the last Jigsaw Jones book? — came from all the “Lost and Founds” I’d seen on various school visits. They always depressed me. The disregard for expensive clothes, the fine things that so many of us have, in a world where not everyone is as fortunate.
Mila has some ideas about this, thankfully.
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I have friends in Istanbul. One particular school, in fact, that reads my Jigsaw Jones books — even ones that are long out-of-print.
It’s the story of my career at this point. More books that are out-of-print than there are available.
Oh well!
The price of hanging around in this business for nearly 4 decades.
Here we go.
A reader writes . . .
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Dear Mr. Preller,
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My name is Pamir. I am 12 years old and I like to play games and I also like to read books. I live in Istanbul and I am studying in Hisar schools .I read your book “THE CASE OF THE DETECTIVE IN DISGUISE” two weeks 
ago. It was beautiful and I’m writing this email because I wanted to tell you why I liked your book. In your book my favourite character is Mike because he wants to find the secret and become a detective. My favourite part is the first part because it was a funny part. They went to the attic and found detective clothes. I think that part 10 because It was less exciting but still good.
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Make more books like this and don’t forget to come to visit Turkey.
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Goodbye,
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Pamir
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I replied . . .
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I received a sweet email from Texas yesterday. This is Jake, a 1st grader, obviously very strong, holding his Jigsaw Jones halloween pumpkin.
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Jake got a lot of details just right. Jigsaw never goes anywhere without his detective journal and pencil. Even when he doesn’t, you know, have arms. We know from history that Abe Lincoln sometimes carried important papers under his hat. Jigsaw carries them on his hat. Different strokes, different folks. The note itself is taken directly from The Case of the Christmas Snowman. An out-of-print classic.
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Alert readers may recognize that Jake has cleverly employed a coded message on the back of his pumpkin. Hmmm. It appears to be an Upside Down Backwards Code, if I’m not mistaken.
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Thank you, Jake. You’ve warmed my heart!
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Camden wrote . . .
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I replied . . .
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Dear Camden,
What a kind and generous letter! Thank you. And all the way from Kalamazoo, too! That’s one of my favorite place names in the world. It’s right up there with Timbuktu and Oshkosh! I live in Delmar and that name just doesn’t have the same snazzy ring to it. Rats!
Just wondering: Have you ever played a kazoo in Kalamazoo? Or talked to a cow who said “Moo” in Kalamazoo?
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What would you do
If the grass was blue
And the birds said “Moo!”
In Kalamazoo?
Would you move to Timbuktu?
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(I’m sorry, I just made that up. Silly me. What other rhyming words can you think of? Canoe! Kazoo! Cockatoo! Purple?)
Anyway! I’m so glad that you read The Case from Outer Space. That’s one of the newest Jigsaw Jones titles and I’m especially fond of it. There’s humor and Little Free Libraries (which I love) and, I think, a pretty satisfying mystery, too. I hope the ending surprised you.
When I was a little boy, my grandmother moved in with us because she was getting old and needed more help. That’s where I got the idea for Jigsaw’s grandmother to be living with his family -— it came directly from my own life. When I look at that illustration by R. W. Alley at the end of the book, with Jigsaw and his father and grandmother gazing at the night stars, well, it stirs my heart.
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You asked some questions. What inspired me to start writing? I could give you a lot of different answers to that question. But mostly, I think I have a “creative bone” in my body. Some inner desire to make things. To draw pictures or put words on a page. To somehow take whatever is INSIDE of me . . . and try you put it OUTSIDE into the world. To share it. To express myself. Maybe’s it just a way of saying, “Hey, World! Here I am! Look at me!”
I have written many books over the years (I don’t have an exact number). There are 42 Jigsaw Jones titles in all, though right now there are 14 that have been revised and updated and currently in print 
(meaning: that you can buy them in stores or online). Of those, I’m especially fond of The Case of the Bicycle Bandit and The Case of the Buried Treasure. The most recent title is The Case of the Hat Burglar, which was inspired by the “Lost and Found” tables that I see on school visits. What if, I asked myself, someone was stealing items from the “Lost and Found”?
That’s the question that writers always ask: WHAT IF?
Who would do it? But more importantly —- and here comes a Pro Tip, Cameron — the better question might be, “Why would someone do it?”
If you can answer WHY, it will often lead a good detective to WHO.
What do you think, Cameron? Why might someone take all the hats -— and then all the gloves -— from the school’s Lost & Found?
Happy reading!
Your friend,
James Preller
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TEACHERS, EDUCATORS: Scholastic has made this its “Book of the Week” — we shot videos, did an interview & live reading, I even put on my cleanest dirty shirt! — and it now sells for ONLY $1 if you order by Monday, December 5, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. Not a terrible idea for teachers, grades 1-3, who want to buy a gift for everyone in the class (which gets expensive).
I’m grateful to the many folks at Scholastic who helped make this happen. Thank you!
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