BUBBLEGUM SHOES

Best-selling YA author Moldavsky takes on organized crime at Marlowe Middle School in her middle-grade debut, a mystery series opener.

Seventh grader Maya Mendoza is a sharp-witted, self-declared detective in Hillside, New Jersey. When the school’s Contraband Closet is mysteriously emptied, Maya vows to crack the case. She tracks suspects and possible locations of the loot with the help of other kids sent to detention by Principal Spade: Ava Agarwal, Clementine Steffin-Paller, and Jordan Freeman. Jordan is Maya’s ex-bestie, and she hopes their shared investigation will mend their broken friendship. As she helps to uncover crooked kids and compromised adults, Maya embodies the flawed, disillusioned sleuth pursuing corruption and gangster-style crime—while also navigating a first crush, the ups and downs of tween social interactions, and the changes brought about by divorce. Maya and her crew take on an illegal card ring, nab a vandal, and get into (and out of) plenty of scrapes. Each member of their new club, the Bubblegum Shoes, brings a distinct skill set, setting up a rich cast for the next book. From the start, snappy dialogue and stylized narration channel classic film noir. While the evocative, staccato, early-20th-century-style cadence may at first be challenging for some readers to adjust to, the author delivers a fun, action-packed caper. The cover art and characters’ names suggest a diverse cast.

A witty story full of humor, mystery, and friendship.