Home » Reading & Literature » Children's Literature » The Misfit Mysteries of Ellen Raskin: Part I

The Misfit Mysteries of Ellen Raskin: Part I

© Irene Tanner-Yuen

The Mysterious Disappearance of Leon (I Mean Noel)
Ellen Raskin
Format: Paperback, 149pp.
ISBN: 0140329455
Publisher: Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers
Pub. Date: March 1989

One of the first books I read as a child that made me want to re-read it time and again was about a pair of orphaned twins and a fat lady that always wore purple, on the search for her missing husband. I remember checking it out from the local library, enthralled by its funny pictures and the unusual mystery/comedy plot, its quirky characters and the clever wordplay. Alas, after many years and many more books, I'd forgotten all but the most obscure details of the book, until I found the answer at an online readers' forum. The book was The Mysterious Disappearance of Leon (I Mean Noel) (1971) by Ellen Raskin, a gifted graphic artist, book designer, and writer.

In the span of two decades since I read my first Ellen Raskin book, I've had the chance to read more of her wonderfully weird mysteries. For me, Leon (I Mean Noel) and Figgs & Phantoms (1974) stand out as the most unusual of the lot. Both novels feature strange families and involve often intricate puzzles. While Figgs & Phantoms evolves into a metaphysical speculation on the nature of existence, death, and dreams, Leon (I Mean Noel) is a straightforward whodunit, with enough plot twists to keep even grownup readers on their toes.

Little Dumpling Fish had four names. Her first name was Caroline. Her nickname was Little Dumpling. Her last name was Fish, but that was changed to Carillon when she married Leon Carillon--all because of a pot of soup.

As for Leon, he changed his name to ?.

Thus begins Leon (I Mean Noel). When the "pomato" soup that their parents created from tomatoes and potatoes becomes a hot-selling commodity, Little Dumpling and Leon are married as children to ensure that the profits and the name are equally shared. Named after Little Dumpling, "Mrs. Carillon's Pomato Soup" makes millionaires of both families, and the children are kept apart until Leon turns twenty-one. The annual postcards that Leon (who changes his name to Noel while away at boarding school) writes to Mrs. Carillon become important clues, for what should be the joyful reunion of husband and wife goes awfully awry.

From child bride to heiress, Mrs. Carillon's life is the stuff of soap operas. She is orphaned when an explosion at the soup factory kills her parents and those of Noel. As a teenager, she hopes that her marriage will be different. On the fateful day, Mrs. Carillon and Noel arrange to meet at a resort, but it was "not at all the way she had dreamed it would be...they had grown up into strangers." The couple's romantic outing turns into a disaster when their boat capsizes and they are taken to the hospital for injuries. Noel is discharged and checks out of the hotel before Mrs. Carillon sees him again--no message, no note. That is peculiar in itself, but what of the last words Noel spoke to her amid the crashing waves? "Noel glub C blub all...I glub new..." This last message--referred to as the glub-blubs--is the centre of the mystery. Why did Noel leave Mrs. Carillon, and where is he now?

The copyright of the article The Misfit Mysteries of Ellen Raskin: Part I in Children's Literature is owned by Irene Tanner-Yuen. Permission to republish The Misfit Mysteries of Ellen Raskin: Part I in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.