Franklin Endicott and the Third Key: Tales from Deckawoo Drive, Volume Six (An Early Chapter Book About Courage, Friendship, and Facing Your Fears - For Kids Ages 6-9)

We are huge fans of Mercy Watson around our house and were very eagerly anticipating this book. It did not disappoint. I love that Eugenia was a big part of this one. She is one of our favorite characters. And the new character, Buddy Lamp, was a welcome addition. We read these books over and over, and they always delight. This is one of those rare series where I don't inwardly groan when we have to read one of the books for the thousandth time. If you have never read a Mercy Watson book, you are in for a treat. They are beautifully written and illustrated and the characters truly come to life. I hope we get more stories from Deckawoo Drive. It's a place full of whimsy, kindness, hilarity, intelligence, bravery, and, of course, fun. My 4 and 9 year old always enjoy visiting.

This is the 6th book in the Deckawoo Drive series and it's just as good as all the rest. Franklin's internal struggle is dealt with in an encouraging way and there's so many wonderful bits: short stories and thrift stores and hot chocolate when you can't sleep and mystery and Mercy Watson and making lists and facing fears and learning you're not alone. Well done, Kate DiCamillo! The Hackett family is impressed again and yes, I cried and laughed, both!

I won't spoil it...but if you've got a young bibliophile, or if you want to introduce your kids to the love of books, this is a great one. My daughter started reading at 4...she is five now and she reads voraciously. This book was perfect for her. She felt like a big girl. When she comes across a word that she doesn't know, she comes to me, and then runs right back to her reading chair. This book is perfect for our kiddos. It reminded me of my first mystery novel...I was in the 2nd grade...I still have it. I will be ordering all of her books. I love her writing already!!!!

We loved this book. The illustrations are just enough. The vocab creates space to stretch while also keeping it accessible. The beauty is in the power of reading, and how Frank figures out the beauty of pushing back the darkness, seeing his worries more as things to marvel at. Highly recommend and we look forward to reading it again

Another excellent story from Deckawoo Drive and the perfect one for the end of the school year for my first grade class. We started the year with “Ruby Finds A Worry” and ended with this tale of Franklin Endicott learning healthy ways to lessen his worries. My students saw the connection right away. The mentions of some classic short stories within the text were nods to other excellent authors, too.