Very well-plotted Chapter 6!

I was delighted to read Chapter 6 - Fourth Grade did a terrific job of brainstorming, and Brooke S. did a great job of writing this up! I really liked the way you decided to have one Palm Pilot disappear that Phil couldn’t have possibly had anything to do with - though I’m surprised that Mr. Callantine didn’t tell Missy that this time it couldn’t be Phil. I’m still suspicious of these adults who are so determined to blame Phil. And I liked the way Mr. Fletcher turned up again - you did a good job of going back over the earlier chapters in the mystery and picking up the threads: the raccoon, and that loud grating noise, in addition to the mystery animal scientist specialist with the gravely voice. Very good writing! I also like how effectively you’ve blended dialogue and action throughout. This makes the chapter very lifelike, and therefore very believable.

You did a great job of building on Phil’s mistaken conclusion that Missy was the thief. I liked seeing him watch his classmates and wonder about them. And I was particularly pleased to see that Phil has finally gotten to the point when he’s so confused and frustrated that he forgot to make the list for his dad, and finally tells his dad what’s going on. I’m sure it was very tempting to let his father try to take over and want to do more to defend his son, but you did an excellent job of letting him be concerned and sympathetic, but not letting him take control of the story away from Phil. He’s unburdened himself, and he knows that his father and Dexter and Molli support him, but it’s still up to him to solve the mystery.

And then you build to a strong chapter ending with Phil carefully observing his classmates as they get ready for the dinner and IMAX evening out. I liked the specific details - they were so much in character, with Missy painting her fingernails, and the boys teasing each other. Then seeing all that money in Randy’s wallet was quite a surprise! Is it money from his savings account, or from his parents, to buy something special in West Yellowstone? Or did Randy steal it, as the reader will undoubtedly suspect? Has Phil found the first real clue to the thief’s identity at last, or is this another false clue, like Missy’s earning money from the collector key chains?

You came up with a terrific cliffhanger chapter ending! Just when it looks like Phil is in the clear at last, and even the teachers are laidback and singing, the money disappears from the lock box, and Phil was the one who found the key earlier. Now he looks guilty all over again. What excellent plotting!

I can’t wait to see what happens in Chapter 7. The mystery is building toward its conclusion now. Will Phil learn something important by following up the money in Randy’s wallet, or will it be another dead end? Will Phil be able to figure out some answers as to who’d dropped the keys in the mud that night? Was that just an accident that Mr. Troth and Mr. Callantine had and didn’t notice at the time, or did the real thief drop them? How will Chapter 7 set up the conclusion in Chapter 8? I’m as puzzled as Phil is - and I genuinely like him and Dexter, so I care about what happens to them. I want to see Phil prove himself innocent in the end. Chapter 7 will set all that up. Have fun writing it!