Closed for the Season

• Genre: Fiction; middle grade mystery/thriller
• Originally Published: 2009
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 670L; grades 5-8
• Structure/Length: 21 chapters; approximately 192 pages; approximately 5 hours on audio
• Protagonist/Central Conflict: The story follows 13-year-old Logan, who has just moved into a house considered the site of an old unsolved murder. Along with his new friend Arthur, Logan decides to solve the murder mystery, facing the town's corrupt officials and delving into the secrets that have haunted the house and town.

Potential Sensitivity Issues: Murder mystery; themes of corruption; mild violence; mild elements of horror; domestic abuse; prejudice among social classes

Mary Downing Hahn, Author

• Bio: Born 1937; American author of young adult and children's literature; former librarian; books often incorporate elements of mystery, suspense, and the supernatural; known for her storytelling and character development
• Other Works: Wait Till Helen Comes (1986); Time for Andrew: A Ghost Story (1994); The Old Willis Place (2004); Deep and Dark and Dangerous (2007)
• Awards: Edgar Award for Best Juvenile Mystery (2010)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

• Assumptions Can Be Harmful
• The Cycle of Bullying
• The Portrayal of Women

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

• Develop an understanding of the social and cultural contexts regarding socioeconomic status that contribute to Logan’s conflicts.