When their grandfather buys a bookstore at auction in New Orleans, the Alden children help clean it up and discover that several people seem to be obsessed with the store and its contents.
When their favorite pizza restaurant almost goes out of business, the Alden children try to help their friends stay open while they find out who is behind all their problems.
When the Alden children set out to solve a jewelry store robbery, they find they must also deal with a mysterious thief who steals their favorite cereal.
The Alden children investigate various mix-ups at a zoo run by their grandfather's friend in an effort to save it not only from pranksters but also from the town council.
While visiting the seaport town of Ragged Cove, Massachusetts, the Alden children find the ship's log of the Flying Cloud, shipwrecked in 1869, supposedly during a mutiny.