February 3, 2026 by Candlewick
E ARC Provided by Edelweiss Plus
Relic Hamilton enjoys hanging out with his grandfather in his London, England antique shop, Anansi's Antiques, and "mudlarking" in the Thames with him, picking up small treasures. When he is organizing some of the inventory, he finds a case of lamps, and causes an explosion that releases a shadowy figure after rubbing one of them. He ends up with Raphaela and the Professor on a jet. The two explain that they need to get his grandfather to the secure facility of the Hermetic Sodality of Genie Hunters to make sure he is well. Relic didn't know that his grandfather was part of this secret group, and is alarmed to discover that genies don't just grant wishes; they feed off the hope of people. That's why Relic was knocked out, and his grandfather is in a coma. We also meet Taya, who find the lamp while she is on a field trip from school. The two intersect and have to work with the Sodality to make sure the genies are not unleashing harm on the world.
This felt particularly British, which I enjoy but which has been increasing unpopular with my students, who now (rightly) feel that Harry Potter is an "old" book. Genies are an even harder sell, although I still love Kerr's The Ahkenaten Adventure and Whitesides' The Wishmakers. I know that Coelho is a very highly regarded children's author in the UK, so this is a fast paced fantasy novel that would be great for readers who enjoyed Crowl's Eden's Wish and Eden's Escape, Lough's Fire Wish, or Speakman and Galvin's Rebels of the Lamp are popular.
February 3, 2026 by Shadow Mountain Publishing
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
After their adventures in The Secret of Moonrise Manor, Raven and her best friend Cosmina are back with their Truth Trackers Detective Agency in Sassafras Springs, Missouri. The town is celebrating Outlaw Days, complete with a Bandit's Ball, which brings a lot of attention to Raven's father's archaeological dig outside of town at an abandoned Irish settlement from the 1800s. Dominion Corporation, which is helping to fund the dig, is also funding part of the celebration. Fellow truth trackers Eric and Miles want to crack the codes that will hopefully lead them to the Lost gold of Alf Bolin, but Raven wants to try to solve the mystery of Mrs. Ames so that her mother can return and not have to be undercover for the Dupin Society. When History Hailey does a report on the dig, lots of people are interested in trying to find the gold, causing some problems, and even some thefts. After cracking some codes and find a civil war era diary written by one of the inhabitants, the Trackers have the information they need to solve some of the codes. There is some real danger as Cosmina is held hostage and some villains interfere with the Trackers work. Will Raven be able to find Alf Bolin's gold, and will her father finally tell Raven's sister Annabel the truth about their mother?
Strengths: Sassafras Springs is a great setting, and I love that Raven and her friends can walk around the town investigating. The funeral home that her grandmother runs is a good home base, even if Cosmina is a little too interested in it! While I don't quite believe that 150 year old diaries are just lying about in tin boxes, the average tween will be entranced by the idea of a useful artifact that old. The ongoing mystery with Raven's mother is a very serious thread running underneath some of the lighter mysteries.
Weaknesses: While there are some pretty suspenseful and dangerous interactions in the book that would be a big hit with my middle school students, the cover looks rather young.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who like their mysteries to have a bit of a historical twist to them, like Salerni's The Carrefour Curse, Souder's Coop Knows the Scoop, or Fox's The Mystery of Mystic Mountain. I wouldn't be surprised if Ms. Bearce was a fan of Campbell's Trixie Belden books.
February 3, 2026 by Shadow Mountain Publishing
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
After their adventures in The Secret of Moonrise Manor, Raven and her best friend Cosmina are back with their Truth Trackers Detective Agency in Sassafras Springs, Missouri. The town is celebrating Outlaw Days, complete with a Bandit's Ball, which brings a lot of attention to Raven's father's archaeological dig outside of town at an abandoned Irish settlement from the 1800s. Dominion Corporation, which is helping to fund the dig, is also funding part of the celebration. Fellow truth trackers Eric and Miles want to crack the codes that will hopefully lead them to the Lost gold of Alf Bolin, but Raven wants to try to solve the mystery of Mrs. Ames so that her mother can return and not have to be undercover for the Dupin Society. When History Hailey does a report on the dig, lots of people are interested in trying to find the gold, causing some problems, and even some thefts. After cracking some codes and find a civil war era diary written by one of the inhabitants, the Trackers have the information they need to solve some of the codes. There is some real danger as Cosmina is held hostage and some villains interfere with the Trackers work. Will Raven be able to find Alf Bolin's gold, and will her father finally tell Raven's sister Annabel the truth about their mother?
Strengths: Sassafras Springs is a great setting, and I love that Raven and her friends can walk around the town investigating. The funeral home that her grandmother runs is a good home base, even if Cosmina is a little too interested in it! While I don't quite believe that 150 year old diaries are just lying about in tin boxes, the average tween will be entranced by the idea of a useful artifact that old. The ongoing mystery with Raven's mother is a very serious thread running underneath some of the lighter mysteries.
Weaknesses: While there are some pretty suspenseful and dangerous interactions in the book that would be a big hit with my middle school students, the cover looks rather young.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who like their mysteries to have a bit of a historical twist to them, like Salerni's The Carrefour Curse, Souder's Coop Knows the Scoop, or Fox's The Mystery of Mystic Mountain. I wouldn't be surprised if Ms. Bearce was a fan of Campbell's Trixie Belden books.
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