A charming crime-solving trio of youths energizes this breezy whodunit.
In this third installment of Hass’ middle-grade mystery series, sleuthing tweens track down a stolen Indigenous American artifact.
Siblings Sally and Andrew (and their pal, Henry) are delighted to hear from Jason, a friend they haven’t seen in months. Jason needs their help: He’s cataloging artifacts for a Jamestown museum, from which someone has stolen a headdress worn by celebrated Powhatan woman Pocahontas. Jason is certain the thief is Amy, his friend and head curator of the Native American exhibit. But it turns out there’s more to this case than simply confronting Amy—the kids learn the theft involves multiple parties, most notably an antique dealer who Sally, Andrew, and Henry must identify as stealthily as they’re able. It’s October, however, and they’re loaded with responsibilities, from schoolwork to their lawn-care and pet-sitting business. But the trio is determined to see this investigation to the end, even if it entails keeping a few tidbits of info from their parents. Hass’ compact, feel-good story showcases charmingly wholesome detectives; while they feel guilty when skirting the truth with their parents, they also excel at sneaking around an antique shop for clues. Readers get insights into the personalities of the three leads, particularly Sally’s—she constantly worries about the others, and even tries viewing the larceny from the suspected thief’s perspective (“No wonder she would want the headband back, Sally thought, just to hold it, maybe even to wear it sometimes”). Elsewhere, the author spotlights Virginia’s rich history and enlivens this story with touches of humor, as when the kids employ disguises (Halloween is just around the corner). The mystery is uncomplicated, but this latest case is great fun with the whip-smart, appealing heroes at the helm. Corson’s crisp black-and-white illustrations bring the youthful cast to life.
A charming crime-solving trio of youths energizes this breezy whodunit.Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9798218192037
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Windsong Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 21, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An absorbing fantasy centered on a resilient female protagonist facing growth, change, and self-empowerment.
In Florence’s middle-grade fantasy novel, a young girl’s heart is tested in the face of an evil, spreading Darkness.
Eleven-year-old Lydia, “freckle-cheeked and round-eyed, with hair the color of pine bark and fair skin,” is struggling with the knowledge that she has reached the age to apprentice as an herbalist. Lydia is reluctant to leave her beloved, magical Mulberry Glen and her cozy Housetree in the woods—she’ll miss Garder, the Glen’s respected philosopher; her fairy guardian Pit; her human friend Livy; and even the mischievous part-elf, part-imp, part-human twins Zale and Zamilla. But the twins go missing after hearing of a soul-sapping Darkness that has swallowed a forest and is creeping into minds and engulfing entire towns. They have secretly left to find a rare fruit that, it is said, will stop the Darkness if thrown into the heart of the mountain that rises out of the lethal forest. Lydia follows, determined to find the twins before they, too, fall victim to the Darkness. During her journey, accompanied by new friends, she gradually realizes that she herself has a dangerous role to play in the quest to stop the Darkness. In this well-crafted fantasy, Florence skillfully equates the physical manifestation of Darkness with the feelings of insecurity and powerlessness that Lydia first struggles with when thinking of leaving the Glen. Such negative thoughts grow more intrusive the closer she and her friends come to the Darkness—and to Lydia’s ultimate, powerfully rendered test of character, which leads to a satisfyingly realistic, not quite happily-ever-after ending. Highlights include a delightfully haunting, reality-shifting library and a deft sprinkling of Latin throughout the text; Pit’s pet name for Lydia is mea flosculus (“my little flower”). Fine-lined ink drawings introducing each chapter add a pleasing visual element to this well-grounded fairy tale.
An absorbing fantasy centered on a resilient female protagonist facing growth, change, and self-empowerment.Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9781956393095
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Waxwing Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A candid and powerful reckoning of history.
Summer is off to a terrible start for 12-year old African-American Candice Miller.
Six months after her parents’ divorce, Candice and her mother leave Atlanta to spend the summer in Lambert, South Carolina, at her grandmother’s old house. When her grandmother Abigail passed two years ago, in 2015, Candice and her mother struggled to move on. Now, without any friends, a computer, cellphone, or her grandmother, Candice suffers immense loneliness and boredom. When she starts rummaging through the attic and stumbles upon a box of her grandmother’s belongings, she discovers an old letter that details a mysterious fortune buried in Lambert and that asks Abigail to find the treasure. After Candice befriends the shy, bookish African-American kid next door, 11-year-old Brandon Jones, the pair set off investigating the clues. Each new revelation uncovers a long history of racism and tension in the small town and how one family threatened the black/white status quo. Johnson’s latest novel holds racism firmly in the light. Candice and Brandon discover the joys and terrors of the reality of being African-American in the 1950s. Without sugarcoating facts or dousing it in post-racial varnish, the narrative lets the children absorb and reflect on their shared history. The town of Lambert brims with intrigue, keeping readers entranced until the very last page.
A candid and powerful reckoning of history. (Historical mystery. 8-12)Pub Date: March 27, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-545-94617-9
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Levine/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 2, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2018
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