The Stolen Key

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. The Stolen Key (Mystery of Trash and Treasures #3)
September 10, 2024 by Quill Tree Books
Public library copy

Colin and Neveah have become friends despite their parents' competing business in The Secret Letters and The Ghostly Photos. Now, with the death of Colin's father (whom he has never met), it's harder than ever for Colin to talk to Neveah, who is constantly surrounded by her bustling family in Groveview, Ohio. Still, when he gets a wrapped box on his porch in the early morning hours, who does he text at 6 a.m. to help him open it? Colin is suprised that there is a key, but glad that his mother didn't stumble across the box, because she still won't tell him anything about his father. Neveah recognizes the key as one from Steve's Self Storage, and is quick to ask her mother to drive the two of them there, letting her assume they are on an early morning mission from her dad. The key opens a unit filled with empty boxes, but behind that there is a child's nursery. The items look familiar to Colin, and a photo album in the crib has happy family pictures of his mother and father holding him. There's also a key to something on the Schenley Bridge in Pittsburgh. Colin doesn't want another treasure hunt, but Neveah is ready to try to talk her older siblings Prilla and Roddy into doing a college visit to Carnation-Watermelon University. (I may never think of Carnegie-Mellon in any other way!) Before they can put there plans in place, however, they get a phone call from Nevaeh's mother, who has been in a car accident. They call 911, and her mother is soon rescued, escaping with a broken wrist, broken ankle, and two broken ribs. Neveah is devastated and feels guilty, and is very surprised when her parents ask her if she wants to go to Pittsburg with Colin and his mother. Felicia Creedmont had already planned a trip, although she is evasive. Soon, three Creevys and two Creekmans are driving the winding highway to Pittsburgh and staying with an old friend of Felicia, Leia. Bits and pieces of her past surface, like the fact that Leia rented rooms to college students, including Franklin Creekman, Colin's father, who was studying to be a doctor. Leia is under gag orders not to discuss anything more, so Neveah and Colin head off to Schenley Bridge, where they manage to find two locks. The key works for one, and they find a simple note celebrating the Creekmans' marriage, but when they open it, another lock inscribed with Colin's name comes off. Since they don't have the key to it, they take it with them. Colin finds out some startling information about his father, and about why his mother won't talk about him, and when his mother finds out he knows, she is very alarmed. She not only cuts short the trip, but won't take Colin home, claiming it is not safe and they don't know who might be following them. She checks them into a hotel instead, and takes away Colin's phone. This isn't helpful, because Neveah has found out that her father and a young Roddy had met Franklin Creekman... and helped him move the nursery into the storage unit. When they are at Steve's investigating they find some alarming things out, but can't contact Colin. Colin, in the meantime, has the contact information from someone in his father's past, and his mother is again alarmed to find out that he has contacted the person. What is the horrible thing that Colin's father had done, and will it cause him and his mother to have to leave Groveview?Strengths: It's fun to see two such different characters getting along and continuing their friendship, even though we didn't get to see Ree as well. There are a lot of very mysterious things going on, but the pair do a good job of following clues and finding information that Colin desperately wants. It was fun to see Prilla and Roddy on the road trip, and to learn a little bit more about Felicia's background. Don't want to spoil the twists and turns, so sorry to be a little vague! Nevaeh's desire to do more serious detecting work was satisfied by this conclusion to the series! Let's just say that Neveah's mother was wise not to take anything stronger than Tylenol for her broken wrist! 

Weaknesses: This felt much darker than the other two books, which my students will ADORE, but which seemed different from the other two books. Also, if Colin's mother had just told him the truth or at least talked to him, there wouldn't have been a story at all. I so enjoyed both families' estate clearing business that I sort of wish we had seen more of that! 
What I really think: This is a great trilogy, and the Ohio setting warms my heart. At one point when the kids were on campus, they wanted ice cream, but the shops were too expensive. So, of course, they go to CVS ( a drugstore chain) and buy a carton! AS ONE DOES. Definitely purchasing this for school, especially since as I was reading this, a student was waiting for me to return it to the public library! The only question that remains is whether or not I buy a copy for myself to go with the first two books that I own. (I buy VERY few middle grade books to keep!)