This was the first mystery novel I read, and it was my favourite until I came across the Hardy Boys. I recall there was a mystery with a bit of clever wordplay, and I quite enjoyed it. Lynn Manuel has also written other mysteries featuring a few of the main characters from Mystery at Cranberry Farm, and I loved reading them too.
Now, when I look back on Mystery at Cranberry Farm, it wasn't that great of a kids' novel, and certainly not the best mystery novel ever (hence the 3 stars). But
Cranberry Farm was a book I got excited about, and it deserves stars for that.