On March 10, the House approved, 388-11, a resolution (H. Con. Res. 334) expressing the sense of Congress that “Kids Love a Mystery Month” should be established. Rep. George Miller (D-CA) sponsored the resolution.
According to the resolution, “Knowledge, wisdom, and children are the greatest assets of a democracy,” and “learning to read is one of the greatest privileges the nation extends to its children.” The resolution also notes that children most often choose mysteries as their favorite books. Finally, the resolution states that the Mystery Writers of America has chosen the month of October each year to observe “Kids Love a Mystery Month.”
Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) said that the Kids Love a Mystery Program “has proven to be a valuable method to encourage literacy, foster deductive reasoning, and enhance critical-thinking skills for our young readers…Since its inception in 1998, the Kids Love a Mystery Program has involved more than 15,000 young readers in 31 states plus the District of Columbia.”
Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA) stated, “I would dare say that there is not one of us who has not had our nose buried in a ‘whodunit’ book, letting our imagination soar in wonderment about what the ending will be. Whether it is Sherlock Holmes or Dick Tracy or Harry Potter, or my childhood favorite, the Hardy Boys mysteries, our support for reading and writing mystery books is a worthy cause. Exciting mystery writers over the years have provided untold hours of enjoyment to child and adult alike. Agatha Christie, Ellery Queen, Alfred Hitchcock, Phyllis Whitney, Mickey Spillane, Mary Higgins Clark, and J.K. Rowling have enriched our lives and stimulated our imaginations.”
