The Mystery of the Stolen Bike by Marc Brown

The Mystery of the Stolen Bike was written by Stephen Krensky and the illustrations are by Marc Brown.
Genre: Children's Fiction
Sub-genre: Mystery
Theme: One man's trash is another man's treasure
Primary and Secondary Characters: The main characters are the Frensky family with the focus on Francine and her Dad. The secondary characters are Arthur, Buster, Muffy and Binky.
Awards: None
Publisher and Date of Publication: Little, Brown and Company; 1998
Summary and Uses: The is a  story about Francine Frensky who loses her bike and cannot afford to get a new one. Her dad lovingly offers his old bike which is a dingy purple color and looks very old. She gets made fun of for riding it but suddenly the bike goes missing and her friends join her to help her find the bike. This story is about treasuring old items and seeing them in a new light. In a classroom setting, this story could be read to encourage others not to make fun of students just because they are different from "the norm."