Cody and the Mysteries of the Universe

Not everything turns out to be as it first appears when Cody and her best friend, Spencer, navigate a neighborhood mystery and the start of a new school year.

Cody’s best friend, Spencer, and his parents are moving in with his grandmother right around the corner, and Cody can’t wait. For one thing, Cody needs Spencer to help solve the mystery of the never-seen Mr. Meen, who lives on the other side of the porch with a skull-and-crossbones sign in the window and an extermination truck out front. How’s Cody to know that a yellow jacket would sting her, making her scream "Ow! Ow!" just as they start spying? Or that the ominous window sign would change overnight to "Welcome home," only deepening the mystery? In this second adventure, Spencer’s new-school jitters, an unexpected bonding with a teacher over Mozart, and turf-claiming kids next door with a reason for acting out are all part of Cody’s experiences as summer shifts into a new year at school.

Tricia Springstubb is the author of Cody and the Fountain of Happiness, illustrated by Eliza Wheeler; the picture book Phoebe and Digger, illustrated by Jeff Newman; and other books for children. She has worked as a Head Start teacher and a children’s librarian. She lives in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.

Eliza Wheeler is the illustrator of Tricia Springstubb’s Cody and the Fountain of Happiness and the Newbery Honor Book Doll Bones by Holly Black, among other books for young readers. Originally from northern Wisconsin, she now lives in Los Angeles.