To Catch a Thief

February 15, 2023
When things start to go missing in Urchin Beach, including a precious town symbol, Amelia and her brothers and sisters are determined to find the thief and save an honored tradition. The Dragonfly Day Festival is a beloved event for Amelia MacGuffin's family and many others. People come from all over to their small Pacific Northwest town to swing the wooden staff, which has a dragonfly-shaped mark on it, believing that three twirls over their heads will bring good luck into their lives. After the staff is stolen just days before the big celebration, a series of ill-timed misfortunes befalls the area. Family life unfolds against this backdrop. Amelia, who is about to start sixth grade, sits at the awkward and sacred intersection between childhood and young adulthood. She's responsible, quick-witted, and introspective, a likable main character. Her siblings Bridget and Colin have their own useful and unique personality traits, and Duncan and Emma, the twin toddlers, are adorable tag-alongs. When a lovable dog they name Doc comes into their lives, the kids do everything they can to convince their parents to keep him, a journey that includes surprises. The central whodunit buoys readers along, the answer delightfully being both unpredictable and obvious. Amelia and her family are White; there is ethnic diversity among her friends and other secondary characters. This is a well-imagined, absorbing world, the story original and inviting. A sweet and satisfying mystery. (Mystery. 8-12)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

February 27, 2023
A rising sixth grader works to return a beloved object and stop a spate of bad luck in this quirkily plotted, Pacific Northwest–set whodunit from Brockenbrough (The Game of Love and Death). Every year, “charming but run-down” Urchin Beach takes in important funds by hosting a Dragonfly Day Festival, during which tourists can pay to replenish their own good fortune by twirling a special dragonfly-marked staff three times over their heads. But after a thief snatches the publicly displayed staff from the arms of a central Sasquatch statue, imperiling the annual source of income and seeding mistrust across the community, a deluge of ill-fated events besets the town. Amelia MacGuffin, who generally lacks “gumption even for the littlest things,” investigates the incident, gathering up a library book on detecting, advice from neighbor Dr. Agatha (a writer of murder mysteries featuring “death by unusual methods”), and help from her family and community. Third-person prose alternates perspectives between the unknown thief and Amelia, detailing thoughtful Amelia’s efforts alongside those of her more adventurous siblings, all of whom meanwhile fear losing a stray dog they’ve come to love. The myriad threads together create a cozy mystery aimed at the heart. Amelia and her family are white; secondary characters indicate racial diversity in the community. Ages 8–12. Agent: Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary.

March 1, 2023
Grades 4-6 The oldest of five kids, 11-year-old Amelia is part of a large, loving family where every member is known for something special--except her. Timid and quiet, she's resigned to life as an unimportant side character in her sleepy town of Urchin Beach, until the theft of the town's dragonfly staff threatens not only the success of the Dragonfly Day Festival but the safety and prosperity of the town itself. With one week until the festival, Amelia steps up to save the community she loves. The ticking clock keeps the story moving, and the varied characters of the tight-knit community add to the cozy atmosphere. Amelia has many fears and feels the need to carry the weight of these worries on her own, but as she learns to unburden herself to her family, friends, and even her cranky neighbor--often over a delicious hot chocolate or tea and cookies--Amelia gains the wisdom and confidence she needs to catch the thief. A heartfelt mystery for younger middle-graders that touches on the importance of family, community, trust, and, most important, love.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

May 1, 2023
Sixth grader Amelia MacGuffin is a worrier. As the eldest of five siblings, she worries about everything from changing the part in her hair to the MacGuffin family's tight finances. So when the mythically lucky wooden staff that is the centerpiece of the annual Dragonfly Day Festival goes missing from Urchin Beach's town square, Amelia decides to channel her worry into finding the thief. Her investigation is hampered by the unexpected arrival of a lost dog in her backyard, a flood that threatens both the festival and the delicate ecosystem that supports the native dragonflies, and the sheer number of possible suspects. With the help of a local mystery author, a trusted librarian, and her own common sense, Amelia surprises herself by solving the crime. But bringing the (beloved and well-known) criminal to justice will prove to be a much harder task. This charming small-town mystery romp will appeal to a wide range of junior detectives, especially those who are also invested in issues of climate change and environmental preservation. Amelia's close-knit beach community of family, friends, and neighbors forms a relatable cast of secondary characters who provide both support and comic relief. Fans of Yan Glaser's resourceful Vanderbeeker clan and Pennypacker's problem-solving protagonists will be delighted that the ending suggests this is just the first of Amelia's adventures. Jennifer Hubert Swan

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2023
Sixth grader Amelia MacGuffin is a worrier. As the eldest of five siblings, she worries about everything from changing the part in her hair to the MacGuffin family's tight finances. So when the mythically lucky wooden staff that is the centerpiece of the annual Dragonfly Day Festival goes missing from Urchin Beach's town square, Amelia decides to channel her worry into finding the thief. Her investigation is hampered by the unexpected arrival of a lost dog in her backyard, a flood that threatens both the festival and the delicate ecosystem that supports the native dragonflies, and the sheer number of possible suspects. With the help of a local mystery author, a trusted librarian, and her own common sense, Amelia surprises herself by solving the crime. But bringing the (beloved and well-known) criminal to justice will prove to be a much harder task. This charming small-town mystery romp will appeal to a wide range of junior detectives, especially those who are also invested in issues of climate change and environmental preservation. Amelia's close-knit beach community of family, friends, and neighbors forms a relatable cast of secondary characters who provide both support and comic relief. Fans of Yan Glaser's resourceful Vanderbeeker clan and Pennypacker's problem-solving protagonists will be delighted that the ending suggests this is just the first of Amelia's adventures.

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)