July 7, 2026 by Holiday House
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Vallory is angry that Mrs. Sagara would accuse her of stealing an antique coin from her collection, especially since she was dealing with the disgusting bathroom to help out her mother, Alyssa, who works as a cleaner for the imperious woman. Waiting on the balcony for the reckoning with her mother, she runs into Rook Sagara and asks for his help. She DID steal the coin and claims she was going to put it back. Rook, who is homeschooled and under a lot of pressure to do well at an upcoming piano competition, agrees. The two form an odd friendship after Vallory travels back on the bus from her home in Grumdale back to the fancy Charles Hill neighborhood of Boston where Rook lives. Rook introduces her to a mystery involving the next door Faden House. Mrs. Sagara rents out rooms there, and Rook thinks there is a girl living in one of the apartments, even though his mother's records don't indicate this. After spying on the building, the kids see a mysterious woman, Ms. Smith, set fire to a doll on the balcony. When they hear that a local girl, Lottie, has been kidnapped, they assume the worst. Since Vallory's mother is dating a policeman, Burke, Vallory lies to her mother about being at Make-a-Pot, and continues to visit Rook, even though Ms. Smith complains to Mrs. Sagara. The two continue their investigation, even bringing in Vallory's former friend Tiff who was told not to hang out with Vallory after she shoplifted items from the local WalMart. When circumstances turn out to be more serious than they could have suspected, will Vallory and Rook be able to save the day?
Strengths: Rook and Vallory are both children who are in need of a friendship, and the two end up supporting each other in valuable ways. Rook has developed anxiety, especially about going outside the house, that his family doesn't seem to appreciate. Similarly, Vallory acts out, possibly over tension with her mother and concern over their financial instability. Her father, whom she refers to as "Dastardly Dan", lives in Australia. While the two try to sneak around, the aren't very adept at it, and it is realistic that neighbors are upset to find that children are trespassing and harassing the neighbors, even if they end up having a really good reason to do so. Both children have well developed back stories that add a lot to the narrative. The ending is satisfying, but I don't want to give away any twists and turns.
Weaknesses: While Rook and Vallory's concerns end up being very serious, this has a feeling of goofiness to it that might not appeal to middle school readers who want darker thrillers like the works of April Henry. The mirrors on Ms. Smith's hat made me take her less seriously.
What I really think: Readers who are amused by meddlesome children like Fitzhugh's Harriet the Spy will appreciate Vallory's efforts to uncover a mystery. At first I thought this was going in a similar direction to The Treasure of Maria Mamoun, but in the end it felt a little more like Trouble at the Tangerine or Millington's Once for Yes.
Strengths: Rook and Vallory are both children who are in need of a friendship, and the two end up supporting each other in valuable ways. Rook has developed anxiety, especially about going outside the house, that his family doesn't seem to appreciate. Similarly, Vallory acts out, possibly over tension with her mother and concern over their financial instability. Her father, whom she refers to as "Dastardly Dan", lives in Australia. While the two try to sneak around, the aren't very adept at it, and it is realistic that neighbors are upset to find that children are trespassing and harassing the neighbors, even if they end up having a really good reason to do so. Both children have well developed back stories that add a lot to the narrative. The ending is satisfying, but I don't want to give away any twists and turns.
Weaknesses: While Rook and Vallory's concerns end up being very serious, this has a feeling of goofiness to it that might not appeal to middle school readers who want darker thrillers like the works of April Henry. The mirrors on Ms. Smith's hat made me take her less seriously.
What I really think: Readers who are amused by meddlesome children like Fitzhugh's Harriet the Spy will appreciate Vallory's efforts to uncover a mystery. At first I thought this was going in a similar direction to The Treasure of Maria Mamoun, but in the end it felt a little more like Trouble at the Tangerine or Millington's Once for Yes.
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