Request #168

I am a retired English teacher who was asked to try to find a book title for one of my son’s friends. They are now in their 30’s and she’s trying to recall a book assigned to them in 5th grade, which would’ve been 1993-94. The teacher — who was pretty conservative — assigned The Westing Game, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and A Wrinkle in Time.

The book in question was a mystery. The copies of the book the kids were given were worn, so the story might be older. For the bright, fifth grade girl who read it the book was an easy read but very engaging. (She was annoyed not to be allowed to read ahead.) The book may have been set between the 1960’s-1980’s, but she’s not sure. One of the main characters was a Black adult male. He befriended a kid and the two of them were linked through the story, but the reader can’t recall if the kid was male or female. There was something about treasure in a cavern and also hidden tunnels or passageways in a house (maybe Underground Railroad?).

Suggestion from an Anonymous Lost Classics reader: Not the right race of the older male figure, but could be Mandie and the Secret Tunnel by Lois Gladys Leppard.