HOME OF THE BRAVE

Sometimes it takes a child detective to see what the adults don’t and save the day.

This August will be Fina Mendoza’s 11th birthday, and she’ll get to celebrate it back home: She, her widowed congressman dad, and her teenage sister, Gabby, are returning to California to spend the summer with their close-knit Latine-presenting family. Having lived in Washington, D.C., for almost a year, Fina doesn’t feel as comfortable back in Los Angeles as she’d expected. Her best friend is busy, her old neighborhood looks different, and her dad is still on the job even though Congress is on recess. When a mystery presents itself, Fina practices the detective techniques she perfected back in D.C. with the help of Senator Something, her best dog friend, whom she walks after school for Congresswoman Mitchell. Her investigations, which center on a man the angry, resentful neighbors call “the Bear” who lives in a “beat-up old camper van,” help Fina find a new role in her old community. Fina’s willingness to ask questions and reflect on real-world situations adds weight to an otherwise light mystery. This fourth entry in a series that references civics and the inner workings of Congress touches on themes of gentrification, unhoused people, public policy, and the plight of veterans in ways that are accessible to middle-grade readers.

A sweet story rooted in relevant social issues.