Kristin L. GrayBesprekingen

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.

Recommended Ages: Gr. 5-7

Plot Summary: Millie isn't sure she belongs at the exclusive event held at Amelia Earhardt's childhood home, but she's excited (and nervous) about it nonetheless. Once she makes it to the house after facing car trouble and lots of snow on the roads, she tries to figure out where she fits in with the other girls. Some she likes right away, others not so much. But she's stuck in the house for the night with them anyway, especially now that the roads are getting even worse. After an absolutely delicious meal and dessert spread, Birdie announces the winner of a scavenger hunt will get to sleep in Amelia's old room. Sounds perfect, except Millie is matched up with Wren who is way more adventurous than her. Things get difficult when Wren discovers a hidden passage, and even weirder when Amelia's valuable goggles go missing from their display case. Suddenly, everyone is pointing fingers at everyone else. It becomes up to the girls to solve the mystery. First step, looking at each other as suspects. Who stole the goggles?

Setting: Atchison, Kansas, on a snowy day

Characters:
Amelia Ashford - AKA Millie, 11 yo, expert at Rubik's Cubes, timid and shy
Nathalie Ramirez - 11 yo, mom lives in Antarctica, loves animals
Wren Winters - Robin's sister, work together on a YouTube channel called Mars Millenium
Robin Winters - allergic to cats
Cassie - can be kinda mean
Theo - builds inventions
Dad - Amelia's dad
Danni - Dad's CPR manikin
Mom - pilot, hasn't seen Millie in a long time
Birdie - caregiver of Amelia Earhardt's house, leader of the event
Collin - Birdie's nephew, stopping by with more firewood, taxidermist

Recurring Themes: theft, museum, friendship, family, estranged family, comfort, Rubik's Cube

Controversial Issues: suspenseful mystery that seems life or death related

Personal Thoughts: Extremely suspenseful. I kept changing my mind about whodunit. Not entirely sure all the pieces truly make sense. Why would Amelia's room not be ready for guests if that was the grand prize of the the scavenger hunt?

Genre: mystery

Pacing: fast-medium, lots of suspense but a decent amount of description too
Characters: kinda blended together
Frame:
Storyline:

Activity:

The author awkwardly straddles the fantastic and the educational by anthropomorphizing the Mars Curiosity rover so it talks to the reader about its birthday party plans in the upper left corner while an interesting Mars fact is dryly offered in the lower right corner. It creates an unpleasant footnoting effect for a picture book when its being read aloud.

A fun story written as journal entries by the Curiosity NASA Mars rover planning its first birthday party. It makes friends with rocks, invites a dust devil to the bash, and simulates lighting birthday candles with zaps of its laser. Each two-page spread has a short entry in language accessible to beginning readers, and a longer paragraph with a relevant fact about the mission. There are several factual errors in those longer paragraphs, unfortunately, but they don't diminish the fun of the book, and they aren't dealbreakers. Aside from those errors, the book would really help a parent or teacher answer kids' questions about what rovers do on Mars. I love a kids' book that can teach parents as they read to their kids.

Mystery meets history in this exciting, modern day adventure where friendship is golden and a dab of humor makes all the difference in the world.

Eleven-year-old Millie gets the chance of a lifetime—to spend the night with five other girls in her idol's childhood home. Excited and a little nervous, she meets the other girls, each who have their very own distinct personalities. While it'd be nice to make friends, Millie can't wait to see items which belonged to Amelia Earhart. But the thrill soon turns to frustration and suspicion as the original goggles go missing. A blizzard rages outside, making sure the thief can't leave. Now, the girls need to band together and discover who it is before worse things happen.

From the very first page, I knew I was going to like this read. Millie hits with pure original spunk in a quirky situation with her father. She's easy to relate to and a fun character to join up with, even if her interests hit a direction readers might not really know much about, Amelia Earhart. But this book melds the tidbits of history and information smoothly into the mystery, allowing young readers to learn some facts along the way.

I enjoyed the writing style quite a bit. It keeps a hint of humor, spunk and personality, while still allowing the tension needed to build a nice mystery. The clues are well placed, and it's not always clear where things will lead. As the story progresses, so does the dark threat, but at a level even more sensitive readers will feel comfortable with. I was afraid that having six characters might grow a bit confusing, but the author does a good job at keeping their personalities different enough to make it easy to recognize each one right away. I love the different quirks each one has and the way they add to the story. It makes for an easy read, which flies by at a pretty good pace.

To keep history close, the author offers a list of literature at the end of the book, in which readers can find more information. There's also a lean toward STEM, making this a nice read for homeschoolers or classrooms. Add the desire for fun and adventure along with a little girl power, and it's a read middle graders are sure to enjoy.

I received an ARC copy and enjoyed the adventure quite a bit.