Frederick, Heather Vogel. Yours Truly: a Pumpkin Falls Mystery. Jacket Illustrated by Charles Santoso. (Pumpkin Falls Mystery series, #2) Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2017. $16.99. ISBN 9781442471863. 336 pages. Ages 10-14. P7 Q8
This light-hearted mystery is written from Truly Lovejoy’s point of view. While her cousin visits, a farm’s maple tree is vandalized. The vandalism creates distrust within the farming community. Truly pulls her friends together to solve the mystery. While figuring out who vandalized the tree, Truly deals with feelings of jealousy toward her cousin, who she thinks likes the same boy she secretly admires. Truly discovers a journal under the floorboard of her home. As she delves into the journal, Truly finds out details about her family that she didn’t know before. The journal is cryptic, but through research, she realizes her family played a part in smuggling slaves through the Underground Railroad.
Verdict: I like the characters and historical details in the story. I recommend this book for elementary and middle school libraries. Pre-teen and teenagers will be able to relate to the interactions between the characters in the story and be intrigued by the mysteries in the book. I think they will enjoy learning how maple products are made and about the Underground Railroad.
March 2017 review by Tami Harris.
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