Scores big on family, detective work, and the love of the game.
Diez Espada loves solving mysteries as much as he loves fútbol.
A Miami sixth grader who was named after the jersey number of his dad’s favorite player, Lionel Messi, Diez finds comfort in noticing clues and solving puzzles. Diez lost his mother, a librarian who ran a mystery book club, to ovarian cancer, and sleuthing helps him feel close to her. A love for mysteries was something they shared, just as soccer is something he has in common with his father. When the FIFA World Cup trophy goes missing from the hotel where his dad works, Diez teams up with Rio Salvatierra, a wealthy, no-nonsense eighth grader (who also happens to be crushworthy) to track down a criminal mastermind and return the trophy to its rightful owner. The mystery unfolds at a brisk pace, with unpredictable twists, layered characters, and smart, engaging dialogue. Diez’s observations of the often ridiculous adults around him are by turns funny and poignant, especially as he continues to navigate his grief. The story features a cast of characters who are predominantly coded as Latine. Packed with fútbol references and references to real-life players, the novel nevertheless remains accessible to readers who may not follow the sport closely. Soccer fans and mystery lovers alike will relish this fast-paced, clever, and heartfelt story.
Scores big on family, detective work, and the love of the game. (Mystery. 8-12)Pub Date: May 5, 2026
ISBN: 9781250419262
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2026
A worthy combination of athletic action, the virtues of inner strength, and the importance of friendship.
A young tennis champion becomes the target of revenge.
In this sequel to Legacy and the Queen (2019), Legacy Petrin and her friends Javi and Pippa have returned to Legacy’s home province and the orphanage run by her father. With her friends’ help, she is in training to defend her championship when they discover that another player, operating under the protection of High Consul Silla, is presenting herself as Legacy. She is so convincing that the real Legacy is accused of being an imitation. False Legacy has become a hero to the masses, further strengthening Silla’s hold, and it becomes imperative to uncover and defeat her. If Legacy is to win again, she must play her imposter while disguised as someone else. Winning at tennis is not just about money and fame, but resisting Silla’s plans to send more young people into brutal mines with little hope of better lives. Legacy will have to overcome her fears and find the magic that allowed her to claim victory in the past. This story, with its elements of sports, fantasy, and social consciousness that highlight tensions between the powerful and those they prey upon, successfully continues the series conceived by late basketball superstar Bryant. As before, the tennis matches are depicted with pace and spirit. Legacy and Javi have brown skin; most other characters default to White.
A worthy combination of athletic action, the virtues of inner strength, and the importance of friendship. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: Aug. 24, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-949520-19-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Granity Studios
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
Contagiously goofy and fun.
Area 51 gets its first new resident in 5 years—and a new mystery.
When her grandma moves into a kid-free retirement home, 12-year-old orphan Priya “Sky” Patel-Baum and Spike, her pet hedgehog, relocate to Area 51 to live with Sky’s eccentric Uncle Anish. At 51, humans and Break Throughs (government-speak for aliens) live together off-grid in harmony. Unfortunately, several Zdstrammars (one of many Break Through species) mysteriously disappear, disrupting the base’s harmony and contributing to feelings of suspicion. Despite being deputy head of the Federal Bureau of Alien Investigations, Uncle Anish becomes a prime suspect. Can Sky and Elvis, her alien classmate, prove Uncle Anish’s innocence and find the missing Zdstrammars before it’s too late? YA author Buxbaum’s middle-grade debut is a rip-roaring series opener complete with over-the-top characters and jokes galore. Naidu’s black-and-white cartoon illustrations extend the comedy with ongoing commentary that smartly interacts with the prose. The cast of Break Through species—like Audiotooters, Galzorian, and Sanitizoria—have hilariously creative on-the-nose names with illustrations to match. Sky is coded biracial, with a White dad and Indian mom. Aliens appear in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors; Elvis shape-shifts but looks like a brown-skinned boy to Sky. Though the main mystery is neatly wrapped up, the cliffhanger ending promises more laughs.
Contagiously goofy and fun. (Mystery. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-42946-4
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2022
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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