DREW LECLAIR CRUSHES THE CASE

Middle school detectives confront locker thefts and ransom notes.

Drew Leclair, future FBI profiler and current seventh grader, does not want to get into trouble like she did after her last successful sleuthing outing (Drew Leclair Gets a Clue, 2022). That’s how you get suspended from school and don’t get to go to Quantico. But who else can investigate these serial thefts? All kinds of kids—mostly kids who don’t have a lot of money but who saved up for something special—are getting treasured items stolen right out of their lockers at school. A couple of the crimes have even been accompanied by threatening letters created from cut-and-pasted newsprint. There has never been a better excuse to pull out thumbtacks and red thread for Drew’s crime board. Meanwhile Drew struggles with her feelings about Alix Chang, because while Drew’s known for a while that she’s probably bisexual, she’s still pretty sure that she’s not going to become interested in actual kissing. Drew, who has asthma and anxiety, is one of the few White students in a setting diverse in race and sexual identity and orientation that also includes students who are physically disabled. A funny, likable cast of characters inspects the evidence to solve a mystery together, culminating with an excellent use of glitter.

Humorous, charming, and a win for mystery fans.