In this children’s mystery series, four fifth-grade and sixth-grade kids who go to the same school, Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School, form a club. They solve mysteries, but the reason why they call their club “Our Secret Gang” is that each of the kids in the group has a secret of their own. The kids are close friends with each other, and the other members of the group know each other’s secrets, but few others outside the group know. The kids all find it comforting to trust each other with things they would rather not talk about with just anyone, and because they each have a secret in their own lives, they are very understanding with each other. Part of the appeal of the books was that the kids’ own secrets were also revealed in each book along with the solution to the mystery that is currently happening.

Other people in their town know about the detective gang, but because they want to keep their secrets secret, they tell people they are the Millerton Detective Gang. The gang meets in an old chicken coop behind Davey’s house. Jason’s mother runs a telephone answering service, and she lets them use one of her phone lines and takes messages for them.

Kids in the Group:

I have notes about the kids’ secrets here, so there are some spoilers, but I don’t know all of their secrets because I haven’t read all of the books in the series.

Davey Johnston – Davey is the club president. He is in sixth grade. His mother is a real estate agent, and his grandmother, called Matta, lives with them. He has a younger sister named Annie. By the end of the series, it’s established that he has a crush on Jeanine. His secret is that he is a math genius. He is eleven years old, but because of his aptitude, his parents wanted him to attend a special high school for students gifted in math and science. Davey eventually persuaded them that he would be happier going through regular school with his friends.

Jeanine Hoffman – Jeanine is the vice president. She is in sixth grade. She takes horseback riding lessons.

Jason Fox – Jason is the club treasurer because he’s very interested in money and things that are value. His secret is that he has discovered that his parents are thinking of getting divorced, and his younger brothers, a set of twins named Bobby and Barry, don’t know yet. His brothers find out later in the series.

Nancy Mitchell – Nancy is the club secretary. She is in fifth grade. She used to live in Boston before moving to Millerton. During the move, she accidentally discovered that she was adopted when she found her adoption papers. Her adoptive mother admits that they hadn’t wanted to tell her because she was adopted herself when she was a child, and other kids teased her about it mercilessly. They were hoping to spare her the same pain. Nancy is shy, and her parents are very protective of her, but they ease up on their protectiveness when she gets involved with her detective gang and when they adopt her younger brother, Harry. Her mother is an architect.

Tim Kennedy – Tim was added to the group in the fifth book after giving them help in the fourth book. When he joins the group, he is called the alternate officer. He is good with electronics of all kinds.

The series was written by Shannon Gilligan. They’re chapter books, but short ones. The narration of the stories switches between different members of the group. In the backs of some of the books, there are instructions for detective activities.

Books in the Series:

The Clue in the Clock Tower (1991)

Someone has stolen the hands from the clock tower of the local museum. While the kids investigate this bizarre theft, they also help Davey convince his parents that he would rather continue going to school with his friends than the special school that they want him to attend.

The Haunted Swamp (1991)

The kids investigate a ghost who appears in the swamp near the train yard.

The Case of the Missing Formula (1991)

An inventor hires the gang to discover who has stolen his new formula for a chocolate diet soda pop. Meanwhile, Jason’s younger brothers find out about their parents’ impending divorce.

The Locker Thief (1991)

Someone is stealing things from students’ lockers at school. Jeanine is accused of being the thief, and the gang tries to clear her name.

Science-Lab Sabotage (1991)

Tim Kennedy, a boy who helped the gang in the previous mystery, joins the gang and investigates sabotage in the science lab. Like other members of the club, Tim also has a secret.

There’s a Body in the Brontosaurus Room! (1992)

The kids are on an overnight camp-in with their school at the local museum, and they investigate a jewel robbery.