The Malted Milkball Falcon

Emily's overnight rock-a-thon at Whit's End is off to a rousing start - local businesses will sponsor orphans for every hour the kids stay awake and rocking, and whoever lasts till morning gets to smash a falcon piñata stuffed with chocolate malt balls. But when the piñata finally breaks open at 7 a.m., not a single malt ball falls out! Emily won't rest until she cracks the case, grilling Matthew, Priscilla, and the others over restroom breaks, stomachaches, and a suspicious piece of candy found on the floor. Every clue points to Nelson and his bulging winter coat... but the real candy-napper turns out to be Whit himself. He emptied the piñata after finding nearly everyone asleep - so how could the time sheet say they rocked all night? The kids come clean about padding their hours, apologize to Nelson - the only one who truly stayed awake - and tally up their honest totals, discovering that a fundraiser built on truth is sweeter than any piñata.

Found on Cause and Effect Album 52 · 12 episodes

The run See every episode

0671 Fast As I Can When Whit explains the spiritual discipline of fasting, the Whit's End gang each give up something they love for a week - and discover their sacrifices are far harder, and stranger, than expected.

0672 Opposite Day On school Spirit Week's Opposite Day, Olivia's game of doing everything backward lands her in a friendship she never meant to start - while Barrett discovers his five hundred online friends may not add up to much.

0673 The Owlnapping When the Odyssey Owls' beloved mascot vanishes before a critical stretch of games, team captain Ryan must decide whether to chase a ransom-demanding kidnapper or convince his superstitious teammates that their luck was never in a stuffed bird.

0674 Square One When Matthew is invited into a secret club of boys who take machines apart to see how they work, one broken promise puts his new friendships - and a rare pinball machine - on the line.

0675 A Thankstaking Story When an ice storm strands Whit and his friends at Whit's End on Thanksgiving, they pass the time by inventing a tale about villains scheming to steal the holiday from a cheerful town.

0676 An Agreeable Nanny A polished new babysitter seems to agree with everything the Parker kids want - which turns out to be exactly the problem.

0677 The Malted Milkball Falcon A church fundraiser turns into an all-night mystery when the candy prize at the center of a rock-a-thon vanishes without a trace.

0678 Grandma's Christmas Visit A grandmother's holiday visit turns a hoped-for quiet Christmas into Odyssey's biggest, messiest celebration yet.

1 of 12 0679 The Green Ring Conspiracy A plane crash outside Odyssey scatters a fortune in cash, a dangerous smartphone, and a fugitive with a gun - and the town's young detectives are already picking up the pieces.

2 of 12 0680 The Green Ring Conspiracy When a suspicious phone call and a hospital X-ray reveal hidden identities, the kids of Odyssey find themselves holding the one device a dangerous conspiracy will do anything to recover.

3 of 12 0681 The Green Ring Conspiracy When a graphic-design class reveals Connie's hidden talent, a wounded man's disappearance from the hospital pulls Whit deeper into a counterfeit-money mystery with millions at stake.

4 of 12 0682 The Green Ring Conspiracy An injured undercover agent turns to Whit for help, claiming the real traitor behind a counterfeiting ring is hiding inside his own team.

5 of 12 0683 The Green Ring Conspiracy While a new hire's shady mentor works to frame an innocent man, a boy's stubborn attempt to crack a locked phone puts him at the center of an investigation he doesn't know exists.

Featured characters

Minor characters & crew 2 more roles

2 supporting roles

Nelson Swanson Georgina Cordova Priscilla Peterson Gatlin Green

Made by

Chris Anthony Host Dave Arnold Writer · Director · Executive Producer Kirby Atkins Writer Christopher Diehl Sound Designer Bob Hoose Producer

The story

Read the full synopsis 2 min

Emily organizes an overnight rock-a-thon at Whit's End to raise money for her church's orphan-care program. Local businesses sponsor six children for every hour they remain awake and rocking. Whit adds an incentive: anyone who lasts until morning may strike a falcon-shaped piñata filled with chocolate malt balls.

Emily, Matthew, Barrett, Priscilla, Jay, and Nelson begin confidently. They bring games, movies, snacks, blankets, and specially prepared rocking chairs. As the hours pass, their enthusiasm fades into exhaustion. Whit checks on them occasionally while working upstairs.

At seven in the morning, the children celebrate finishing. Barrett has left early for a paper route, Jay has fallen asleep, and Priscilla is in the restroom. When Emily breaks the piñata, no candy falls out. Someone has removed every malt ball.

Whit discourages accusations and asks whether anyone wishes to explain. Since the children claim they remained awake, they insist a thief among them took the candy. Emily refuses to rest until she solves the case. She and Matthew investigate the sign-out sheet, question Priscilla about her hourly restroom breaks, challenge Jay about a stomachache, and confront Barrett after learning that Priscilla gave him a malt ball she found on the floor.

At the evening meeting, Emily identifies Nelson as the culprit because his bulky winter coat is now filled with malt balls. Nelson admits that he bought the candy that afternoon. He felt that suspicion had spoiled the good purpose of the fundraiser and planned to let the others discover the replacement candy so the evening could end happily. Carrying stolen sweets back to the scene would make no sense.

Whit then reveals the true culprit: himself. During several early-morning checks, he found everyone asleep or away from a chair except Nelson, who was absorbed in music and reading. Whit removed the malt balls so the children would have to face an obvious question. If they had been awake and rocking as their time sheet claimed, how could anyone have emptied the piñata unnoticed?

The children confess that they recorded hours they did not complete because they wanted their sponsors to give more money. Whit does not fault them for falling asleep during a difficult challenge, but he insists that money obtained dishonestly cannot honor God. They apologize to Nelson, the only participant who truly stayed awake all night.

Everyone agrees to calculate the honest totals. Nelson chooses to share the malt balls he bought, even with friends who have unfairly suspected him. The fundraiser can still help children in need, but only after truth replaces pride and accusation.