Rochester-area author Sally Valentine writes mysteries for kids that are set in various places in Rochester. “Theft at George Eastman House: A New York State Adventure,” about a fifth-grade field trip to Eastman House, was the NeXt Book Club choice for fall. NeXt asked readers to either write a short review of Valentine’s book or come up with their own idea for a cool local setting for a mystery.

West Seneca West fifth-grader Katie Wackowski liked the book. She wrote: “Have you ever heard of the George Eastman House in Rochester? Well, if you haven’t, it’s an amazing place. I should know because I went there.”

Valentine taught school for many years and much of her book takes place in the classroom. Katie says she liked the part “where the kids got assigned projects for homework in school and some of the parents called complaining about the projects.”

Here were readers’ ideas for cool places to set a mystery:

Brooke Smith, a West Seneca West fifth-grader, suggested the Buffalo Niagara International Airport. “People are always rushing in and outJust picture it – it’s crowded and busy. A purse or a piece of luggage could easily go missing. A child could lose his or her parent. Anything could get lost or stolen. Plus, if you did lose something or someone, it would take a while before you would find what went missing.” Springville Elementary fifth-grader Miranda Richert had this idea: “Chuck E. Cheese in the middle of the night would be a great location for a mystery.

People could get lost in the tunnels there. Ghosts could hide inside the machines. Spooky toys like fake tongues and eyeball bouncy balls might turn real during the middle of the night. The race car machines might actually crash if they became alive.”

Springville third-grader Jackson Richert says: “I think Niagara Falls would make a great setting for a mystery. The water in the falls goes really fast. Sometimes people go down the falls in barrels and kill themselves. If I were writing a mystery, I would set it at Niagara Falls.”

NeXt Book Club participants win NeXt T-shirts, books or $5 Barnes & Noble gift cards.