Tangled Up in Luck (The Tangled Mysteries Book #1)

The chemistry between an unlikely team of cued-white amateur sleuths propels this humorous romp. Volleyball star “Slayer Sloane” Osburn, 13, views any association with curly red–haired outcast Amelia Miller-Poe, 12, as “guaranteed social death.” But when the seventh graders are paired on a school project to investigate a cold case involving missing jewels dating from 1887 in their small town of Wauseon, Ohio, the two find both a kinship and a combined flair for investigation. Though an enemies-to-friends dynamic may be familiar territory, Wyatt (Ernestine, Catastrophe Queen) gives it fresh treatment here, especially in the rounded motivations of these two characters: Sloane, recovering from her mother’s recent death from cancer, and hiding her inner Doctor Who–watching nerd; and Amelia, whose bossy, perfect family talks at her and whose dramatic gifts previously remained unappreciated. While details about the lost fortune of self-made millionaire Jacob Hoäl occasionally bog down the narrative, the witty voice, clever details, and winning characters, such as Sloane’s grannies who run an illegal bingo operation, compensate. The satisfying mystery and authentic friendship offer momentum for the series’ next installment. Ages 8–12. (Nov.)