Synopsis:
Gitta loves helping her grandfather in his antique store in the center of old Munich, Germany. When a Stradivarius violin finds its way into the shop, he explains to his granddaughter how precious the instrument is and shows her how wonderful it sounds when it is played. Their quiet time of sharing is interrupted by a beautiful lady, then by two more customers and, finally, by Gitta's friend Pompom who beckons to her and invites her on one of her games of playing detective. Gitta is only half willing to follow Pompom on her 'wild goose chase.' She has no interest in being a detective, yet Pompom's adventures often get her in trouble, and Gitta usually tries to talk her out of some wild plan. The two are the best of friends, although they are very different. Gitta is athletic and a good student, whereas Pompom has a vivid imagination and would just as soon skip school altogether. Pompom is in the process of spying and Gitta joins her which leads to a very unpleasant experience when the would-be suspect catches them. Undeterred, Pompom then talks her friend into pursuing the beautiful lady whom they see leaving the store, just 'for practice,' as Pompom puts it. They follow her and see her having coffee with one of the two men who entered the store after her. Pompom finds this peculiar, but Gitta's mind is not on spying. She wants to go back to the shop because she knows her grandfather counts on her help. When they return to the antique store, bad news awaits them. The precious Stradivarius has disappeared and a police officer, Inspector Weiss is interviewing Herr Neubauer, Gitta's grandfather, who is very distressed. Gitta feels upset and guilty because she stayed away playing silly games while her grandfather got into such serious trouble. But Pompom is in her element. Finally she is having a part in a real case. There are, of course, obstacles to her taking full responsibility for solving the mysterious disappearance of the violin. She knows well from previous expe
About the Author:
The author grew up in Aachen, in post-war Germany. To have been born at such a time of upheaval initiated a continuous search for meaning. This led to a promising start as author of children's books in Germany. For years she lived in the Far East - Singapore, Tokyo, and Hong Kong, and visited other countries in the Orient. The different cultures and how they affected her further influence her work. She has completed two mystery novels, for children 8 and up, which she plans to continue, each story taking place in a different cultural environment.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
