Short
Original decodable mystery series
Garden Detectives
Follow the clues, practise phonics, and solve each gentle garden mystery.
Start Case 1Your investigation
Phonics Garden case map
Complete the cases in each garden zone to earn all five Short Vowel Detective badges.
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A
Sunflower Trail0 of 7 solved
E
Red Flower Gate0 of 7 solved
I
Vegetable Patch0 of 7 solved
O
Lily Pond0 of 7 solved
U
Treehouse Turn0 of 7 solved
Reading becomes the investigation
Each case is an original controlled-text story. Learners preview the important words, read or listen sentence by sentence, collect evidence, and answer questions that can be proved from the text.
How to use these stories well
Use each case as reading practice, not as a guessing activity
Before reading the story, play the focus-word audio and check the heart words. This keeps the learner from using the picture or the mystery plot to guess too early.
The sentence buttons are most helpful when a learner can decode most of the line independently, then replay it for smoother phrasing and expression.
When the learner answers the case question, ask, “Which sentence tells you that?” That simple habit turns the story into evidence-based reading instead of random prediction.
When these stories fit best
Move into stories after word and sentence accuracy is steady
Use Garden Detectives when the learner can already read short-vowel words and simple sentences with the target pattern at a comfortable pace.
If the learner still needs heavy support on most CVC words, stay with word-family pages, decodable sentences, or short passages first.
These cases work especially well across two or three short sittings: decode first, reread for fluency next, then solve the case from memory and evidence.
Short A cases
Short A mystery stories
Case 1
The Case of the Vanishing Jam
Level 1 · 10 sentences
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Case 2
Tracks in the Sand
Level 2 · 13 sentences
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Case 3
The Black Hat Clue
Level 3 · 16 sentences
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Case 16
The Bag on the Branch
Level 4 · 14 sentences
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Case 21
The Vanishing Plant Tag
Level 5 · 14 sentences
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Case 22
The Black Flag Pattern
Level 6 · 14 sentences
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Case 23
The Glass Jar Trail
Level 7 · 15 sentences
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Short E cases
Short E mystery stories
Case 4
The Bell at Ten
Level 1 · 11 sentences
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Case 5
The Red Feather
Level 2 · 12 sentences
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Case 6
The Pet Bed Puzzle
Level 3 · 16 sentences
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Case 17
The Red Net Clue
Level 4 · 14 sentences
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Case 24
The Bent Fence Clue
Level 5 · 14 sentences
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Case 25
The Empty Seed Chest
Level 6 · 14 sentences
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Case 26
The Bell Under the Bench
Level 7 · 14 sentences
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Short I cases
Short I mystery stories
Case 7
The Pink Ink Clue
Level 1 · 11 sentences
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Case 8
The Gift in the Bin
Level 2 · 12 sentences
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Case 9
The Missing Fish Sign
Level 3 · 16 sentences
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Case 18
The Tin Lid Trail
Level 4 · 14 sentences
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Case 27
The Silver Pin Trail
Level 5 · 14 sentences
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Case 28
The Missing Picnic List
Level 6 · 14 sentences
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Case 29
The String by the Fig
Level 7 · 14 sentences
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Short O cases
Short O mystery stories
Case 10
The Clock That Knocked
Level 1 · 10 sentences
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Case 11
The Fox and the Lost Box
Level 2 · 12 sentences
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Case 12
The Spot on the Dock
Level 3 · 16 sentences
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Case 19
The Sock on the Dock
Level 4 · 14 sentences
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Case 30
The Knock at the Potting Shed
Level 5 · 14 sentences
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Case 31
The Lost Pond Clock
Level 6 · 14 sentences
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Case 32
The Orange Spot Mystery
Level 7 · 14 sentences
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Short U cases
Short U mystery stories
Case 13
The Drum in the Mud
Level 1 · 10 sentences
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Case 14
The Cup That Jumped
Level 2 · 12 sentences
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Case 15
The Sun Club Secret
Level 3 · 18 sentences
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Case 20
The Muddy Brush
Level 4 · 14 sentences
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Case 33
The Dusty Glove
Level 5 · 14 sentences
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Case 34
The Humming Pump
Level 6 · 14 sentences
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Case 35
The Lunch Box Under the Stump
Level 7 · 16 sentences
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A controlled text—not a guessing game
The stories become more natural as levels rise, so a small set of heart words is previewed explicitly. Learners should decode regular words, learn the listed heart words, and use meaning only to confirm—not replace—attention to print.
What this page gives you
Why the full story collection matters
This page gathers all of the short-vowel mystery stories in one place, but it also keeps the collection organised by vowel so practice stays controlled. That matters because early readers often need repeated exposure to one sound pattern before they can carry it into longer text.
Instead of giving one isolated passage, the series offers multiple cases for each short vowel. That helps teachers and families see whether the learner can read the same sound in fresh words, new sentences, and different story situations.