Perhaps Frankencrayon was to blame. Or it might have been The Bad Seed. Then again Jimothy Raccoon might have been involved. And The Pigeon might have flown the coop and done it.

All four were suspects in the case of overdue or damaged books at Ridgecrest Elementary School’s library. Kristen Todd, library media specialist, told a group of second graders that someone had snuck into the library and damaged several books. The news was met with gasps of surprise and shock as students looked toward an area cordoned off with crime scene tape where several damaged books were strewn on the floor.

Todd told students she was calling in the FBI (Forensic Book Investigators) to help find out who done it.

The entire activity, which Todd replicated with varying degrees of difficulty for first through fifth grade, was an effort to teach students to be respectful toward library books.

“I always wanted to do an escape room or a crime scene and let them figure it out,” Todd said of the idea, which she got off TikTok. “I was trying to find something fun to do with book care. I tweaked it to make it work for us.”

Since school started, Todd and Sheila Haynes, library assistant, have been teaching students the importance of taking care of library books they take home. Other activities included a slide show introducing students to book care and playing book care tic-tac-toe. The crime scene activity was the culmination of the lesson. To set the mood, the library doors and windows were crisscrossed in yellow crime scene tape with posters announcing the FBI Book Crimes Division and Library Crime Scene, Do Not Enter.

“The more we talk about it, the more care they will take,” Todd said. “We try to teach them the value of books.”

The lesson was not lost on the second graders in Trina Glenn’s class. Most students expressed outrage when Todd playfully told them about the “crime.”

“Something really bad has happened to the library,” she told them after they arrived for their library time. “We had some book characters who have been in our favorite books. They snuck in and made a mess. We will have to look at the clues to figure out who done it.”

Most students hurried over to the “crime scene” to check out the damage. Someone had colored in one book, candy wrappers were strewn near another one, bright blue feathers were found near another book that had a torn page, and an empty water bottle was resting on an open book whose page was crinkled from being wet. A note, which would help students determine the culprit, was found nearby.

“Fifth graders did it,” one little girl theorized.

“Fifth graders do funny stuff sometimes,” another girl agreed.

“They ripped it. They ate and spilled water on the book,” another student said indignantly.

“The jelly vampire did it. He’s a sandwich. He likes eating so much stuff and there is candy all over the ground,” said Briar Karstens, referring to the book “Vampire Jam Sandwich.”

“It’s Casper the Ghost because nobody can see him,” Mariyah Woodruff said.

Once students were back in their seats, Todd said the FBI had narrowed the list of suspects down to four. She showed a photo of a lineup featuring Frankencrayon, The Bad Seed, Jimothy Raccoon and The Pigeon, all characters in children’s books who were current residents of Crayon County Police Department.

Todd read the contents of the note to students, which indicated someone intended to sneak into the library and steal some books, take a book out of the library and read it in the rain and then not return the book on time and lie about it, all of which violates the library rules.

Students then were divided into teams with each given an FBI case file and an evidence bag containing a damaged book, a pair of gloves, a magnifying glass, a pencil and a report to fill out. Each student was assigned a task. The evidence examiner with the gloves could handle the book while the clue detective used the magnifying glass to inspect the book for clues. The lead investigator took control of the investigation while the case recorder filled out the police report identifying what happened to the book, if the book was treated safely and how students can protect books. The case report increased with difficulty according to the grade level.

Students carefully inspected their books, making various observations as they did so.

“It’s ripped. Someone spilled water. It’s disgusting,” one student said.

“The Pigeon bit the book and it ripped,” another said.

“It stinks,” one little girl said before finding a paper towel inside the book. “They tried to clean it up.”

“They spilled water and left trash. They tried to clean it up. The dog bit it,” Violet Rodriquez said as she inspected a book.

Todd said all of the books used in the activity were books that had been misused and returned to the library. She said she hoped the activity would drive home the point that students need to care for their library books.

“We tell them they take a book on a journey, it is a friend you take with you,” Todd said. “We tell them the overdue book is called Bob, he is a person. You don’t want to hurt it if you have personified it.”

Older students took the Book Care Oath, promising to keep books clean and dry, use bookmarks and to return them responsibly. Students left the library as Forensic Book Investigators, promising to protect library books in their possession.