Reviews

Lots of fun! I enjoyed the characters -- especially the quirky islanders and Lark and her sister. The pacing of the mystery was good, too. I think there was a great balance between the tension of the mystery and the tenderness of Lark's relationships or funny things that happened along the way.

I would definitely read more of this series. I think fans of middle grade mysteries will find a lot to love here.

Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

aotales's review

Go to review page

5.0

I’d love to know who creates the buzz surrounding book releases, because why this amazing middle grade has and will likely fall between the cracks of your literary attention is baffling to me. So, if I could please have your attention: this is one of the best middle grades I’ve read in the last four years. Yep.

I was incredibly skeptical of two things going in: 1) how can an adult male accurately and sensitively write a story centred around a 12-year-old grieving girl without stereotype and 2) given the large cast of characters there will inevitably be “hollow” characters (that is, ones that easily could be replaced with a lamp). I was wrong, wrong, wrong.

This middle grade mystery is full of amazingly drawn characters set within a dysfunctional but big hearted family that is trying to piece together their familial dynamics after loss. Lark is a fantastic central character to root for - smart, opinionated, flawed, quick to anger, hurting but trying so hard to heal, to trust, and be courageous - she’s everything I’m looking for in a literary heroine.

Full of some my very favourite literary components: mystery, a Great Lakes setting in the summer, history, and a dash of treasure/clue hunting. Hopeful, big hearted and highly entertaining, if you love a good middle grade mystery please don’t miss this one. Trust me.

bethfishreads's review

Go to review page

4.0

Fun, well-plotted middle grade mystery set on a fictitious island in Lake Erie.

The summer after their mother dies, 12-year-old Lark and her little sister, Pip--along with their stepfather and stepbrothers--return to Swallow Island and the house the girls have inherited from their mother. Lark, especially, has mixed feelings about being in Roost House without her mom.

The kids are enrolled in summer activities in the morning while Lark's stepdad works restoring oil paintings for the local museum. Lark is lucky enough to get offered an afternoon job from Nadine, an investigative journalist who was a close friend of Lark's mom. Nadine's focus is on a 75-year-old boating accident that killed her grandfather and a possible missing will from her grandfather's friend, the late-patriarch of the island's richest family. Can Lark and Nadine solve both cases before the summer ends?

Lark is a self-sufficient kid who has some strong talents: playing soccer and being very observant and able to make connections between seemingly unrelated events or items. She is also struggling: with the death of her mother she's now officially an orphan, though she knows her stepfather loves her and will always take care of her. Still, he is not her mother. Lark is self-aware enough to know she's not giving her step-family a fair chance, but she can't seem to help being sullen.

The novel is both a fun and exciting mystery and a story of a young girl coming to terms with what life has thrown at her. For the most part, the island people Lark meets are easy to envision, and I had no trouble rooting for Lark and Nadine to find the evidence needed to stop the bad guys from getting their way. I also liked the way Lark's relationship with her sister and step-family developed over the summer. This is the start of a series, and I can't wait to watch Lark blossom.

I know one reason I loved the book is because I grew up in a sailing family on Lake Erie. I'm familiar with all the real-life places Lark mentions in the story, which certainly deepened my connection. You don't have to be a middle grader to love these books.

I checked this book out from library.