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Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.
Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.
Today, we've a special BOOK BIRTHDAY review featuring a NEW Middle Grade Fiction Mystery in stores now via Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing! It stars six fabulous young ladies that are smart, inquisitive, creative, and not afraid to get their hands a little dirty in the name of good...and trust me, they have to in this tale because the game afoot is SO not a game! Ready or not, here comes today's book birthday celebrant in the spotlight...
by
Kristin L. Gray
9781534418851
Paula Wiseman Books
About the book...
Amelia Earhart’s famous aviator goggles go missing and eleven-year-old Millie has to find them before the night is over in this girl-powered middle grade whodunit.
Eleven-year-old Amelia Ashford—Millie to her friends (if she had any, that is)—doesn’t realize just how much adventure awaits her when she’s given the opportunity of a lifetime: to spend the night in Amelia Earhart’s childhood home with five other girls. Make that five strangers. But Millie’s mom is a pilot like the famous Amelia, and Millie would love to have something to write to her about…if only she had her address.
Once at Amelia’s house in Atchison, Kansas, Millie stumbles upon a display of Amelia’s famous flight goggles. She can’t believe her good luck, since they’re about to be relocated to a fancy museum in Washington, DC. But her luck changes quickly when the goggles disappear, and Millie was the last to see them. Soon, fingers are pointing in all directions, and someone falls strangely ill. Suddenly, a fun night of scavenger hunts and sweets takes a nosedive and the girls aren’t sure who to trust. With a blizzard raging outside and a house full of suspects, the girls have no choice but to band together. It’s up to the Amelia Six to find the culprit and return the goggles to their rightful place. Or the next body to collapse could be one of theirs.
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This is a classic whodunit wrapped in kid friendly packaging and served up with a healthy dose of girl power! I loved the fact that the mostly female cast showed the roles women have in society and how even now, there are differences sometimes in how they are treated, respected, and/or looked to, while reinforcing that the JUST BE YOU philosophy is truly the only way to go. If you like cubing, like cubing. If you like scientific exploration, then like it. If you want to breach the new frontier, grow the most beautiful flowers, tinker with gizmos and gadgets, do it! The world is your oyster and no one can tell you what you can or cannot be. It's a great message for any age, but especially the youngsters this Middle Grade release is intended for, and quite honestly, it's done rather well!
Really...it sneaks in while you're busy getting to know the characters, for better or worse. It makes itself at home as the mystery starts to unfold and skills are put to the test from problem solving to engineering. It reveals itself slowly as all the clues start to come together and the moment of truth arrives...even as the BIG TWIST happens and it looks like lights out (again!) for the whole crew...keeping you on your toes and those brain cells firing! It's a great combination of story, skills, and heart that'll leave you with the warm fuzzies, but also a curiosity that might need to be slaked about SO MANY things, and that invitation to explore more, never hurt anyone.
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About the author...
Brooke Robinson Photography via publisher's website |
Kristin L. Gray is the author of Vilonia Beebe Takes Charge (which Publishers Weekly called a “sensitive and uplifting coming-of-age journey”) and The Amelia Six. Kristin loves to read, walk her dogs, and eat cake for breakfast. Her fourth-grade self would never believe she has five children, two dogs, one fish, a bearded dragon, and a shy gecko. She lives in northwest Arkansas. To learn more about Kristin, or to send her a cake, visit her online at KristinLGray.com
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Special thanks to Jenny at Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing for the eARC for review (and the print edition too!) as well as the chance to bring this title to you. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title celebrates its BOOK BIRTHDAY TODAY (woot woot!) via Paula Wiseman Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf or virtual retailer of your choosing.
Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!