Effie Starr Zook Has One More Question

Freeman, Martha. Effie Starr Zook Has One More Question
March 7th 2017 by Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books
E ARC from Edelweiss Above the Treeline

Because Effie's parents are trying to fly a solar airplane around the world, she has to spend the summer in a small town in Pennsylvania with her Aunt Clare and Uncle Ted. Life is pretty slow and boring, but she does get out to investigate a bit and meet the quirky people in town. A kid her age, Moriah Yoder, wants to befriend her, but his father is set against it, claiming there is bad blood between their families. No one wants to explain any of this to Effie, who is having fun in the town book store, run by Pendleton Odbody, and investigating the museum of Zookiana that is dedicated to her great grandfather, who invented the barf bag, the income from which is what is keeping the family going. When her parents' plane runs into trouble and Effie finds out that the family has money problems, she finally gets some answers to the family secrets. 
Strengths: Effie was an interesting character, and she had a fairly upbeat and intact family situation, which is always a relief! I enjoyed her ability to roam around in the summer, and the characters she meets are interesting.
Weaknesses: Rather slow, and the mystery didn't quite grab me.
What I really think: This reminded me of the quirky family stories of Polly Horvath that just did not circulate in my library. Pleasant enough, but don't think I'll buy it.