The Grimthorpe Grave by K.H. Saxton

 Today's read fits so perfectly to the season! At least, the cover is giving me Autumn vibes. Add the mystery, and I'm excited to dive into this read. Plus, I'm now pumpkin patch dreaming...gosh, I hope this one involves a pumpkin patch. 

This is the 2nd in the series. I read the first one around this time last year and enjoyed it. (You can see that review here).

THE GRIMTHORPE GRAVE

The A&A Detective Agency, #2

by K.H. Saxton

Union Square Kids

Middle Grade Mystery

32 pages

ages 8 to 12

COMING...

SEPTEMBER 17th!!!

"It’s a delight to see Asha and Alex solve clues and help some clueless adults right a wrong. I can’t wait for the next book!” —Margaret Peterson Haddix, New York Times bestselling author of the Greystone Secrets series on The Fairfleet Affair

How do you save a witch who’s been dead for centuries? 

Alex and Asha of the A&A Detective Agency are on the case! Summer is over, and Asha and Alex haven't had a decent case in months. But just as a chill begins to stir the air, and the autumn leaves start to turn, Dr. Wright from the Fairfleet Institute comes to them with a cryptic note, signed by “The Witch of Waverly College,” about Hannah Grimthorpe, the notorious witch from Northbrook’s colonial past. This is the perfect case to reinvigorate Alex and Asha's interest in keeping up the agency, but distractions come their way as school activities divide their attention. When more clues appear and Dr. Wright is forced out of the Institute, the two detectives decide they are going to need help from their classmates to solve the mystery. 

With sneaky adults out to thwart the kids' mission, shadows lurking in corn mazes and cemeteries, and a Halloween deadline looming to uncover the truth about Hannah Grimthorpe, it's a race against time and a lesson in who to trust for the young detectives of Northbrook.  

The A&A Detective The Grimthorpe Grave is the perfect autumnal read for kids ages 8 to 12.  

GOODREADS   /    PUBLISHER

MY TIDBITS

Ghosts, unidentified skeletons and the witch trials come together to form a mystery with more than a few surprises.

Alex and Asha are getting settled into the new school year, both busy with school activities and wondering if the A&A Detectives will ever have a mystery to solve again. But when a self-declared Witch of Waverly College leaves threatening notes surrounding a legend of the death of a supposed witch during the colonial era, Alex and Asha's friend and head of the institute's job is in danger. Although the institute wants to keep the secret past under wraps, Alex and Asha promise to discover who this witch is and what they truly want.

This is the 2nd book in the series, and while the first book does add a little background, this can be read as a stand-alone.

After seeing the cover, I was expecting a bit more of a Fall Fair atmosphere, which this read doesn't have. It's about unidentified skeletons, creepy mausoleums, ghosts, grave robbers and more. While it doesn't grow super creepy, it does carry grim tones, at times, and has the sleuths on an eerie trail with unknown villains and criminals in the background. Even with new found friends and a growing detective group (this mystery is challenging enough to need to add a few more heads to their gang), it's not an easily solved mystery. They have to do plenty of research, figure out codes and clues, and wonder about more than a few very suspicious entities. It's a well-laid mystery which takes thought, and the solution isn't clear until the end.

Despite the darker scenes and more dangerous situations, this stays nicely set for the middle grade audience. It's not gruesome but tends toward clever. And there's a weave of history tossed in to give it a thought-filled feel. There is some back-and-forth on the friendship end to add a little character depth, but it's the mystery and clue-solving which keep this plot going. Every moment reveals something important, even subtle points, which weave into a larger picture, bit by bit. It's a grabbing read with a lovely pacing and a group of detectives to root for until the end. 

And here she is...

K. H. Saxton is an English teacher and boarding school administrator in Connecticut. She is also the author of The A&A Detective Agency: The Fairfleet Affair. 

TTHE FAIRFLEET AFFAIR

The A&A Detective Agency, #1

Here

Today's read... The Fairfleet Affair by KH Saxton

I don't know about you, but I'm ready for another mystery...something which really hooks and keeps the clues coming, one right after the other. I'm hoping today's read does just this. It's from a debut author and sounds very promising. I also love how busy the cover is and wonder what hints all of those objects might hold. 

Grab those sleuth hats because it's time to figure out 'who done it'!

THE FAIRFLEET AFFAIR

The A&A Detective Agency

by K.H. Saxton

Union Square Kids

Middle Grade Mystery

272 pages

ages 8 to 12

COMING...

SEPTEMBER 19th!!!

Follow clues, solve puzzles, crack the code... find the missing millionaire.
 
The celebrated museums of the Fairfleet Institute are known for curating the mysteries of humanity. But they don’t solve mysteries. Luckily, twelve-year-old friends Alex Foster and Asha Singh of the A&A Detective Agency do. Or they will . . . once they get a real case to test their skills as sleuths.
 
When Dr. Alistair Fairfleet, the institute’s eccentric chairman, disappears on the first day of Alex and Asha’s summer vacation, they receive a letter written by the missing millionaire himself inviting them to a game involving complicated clues and puzzles. It is just the sort of case they’ve been waiting to tackle. But nothing in the Fairfleet case has a simple solution. As the kids track down clues, they uncover art forgeries, archaeological crimes, and Fairfleet family secrets. All of this tests their partnership and forces them to confront the complicated legacies of the people and places they admire most.

GOODREADS    /    B&N    /     AMAZON

MY TIDBITS

With the excitement of a treasure hunt, this is a mystery to keep the reader anticipating the next clue at every turn of the page.

Dr. Alistair Fairfleet has gone missing. As a millionaire and the head of a well-known institute, this is hardly a small thing, especially since only the four directors and the A&A Detective Agency have received letters with clues. Alex and Asha take the problem seriously, but then, they only have two weeks to find him. Or else. But this isn't a straight-forward case. According to the clues, the four directors aren't as innocent as they appear, and their secrets are more incriminating than anyone imagines.

Alex and Asha are quite the detective duo, and while they act very age appropriate, are clever and catch things the adults tend to overlook. But not always and not always at the same time. That's one of he fun things about this read. Alex and Asha don't see the world the same way, nor do they always agree. The author lets their different viewpoints snuggle right together in an unique way, so that the clash is obvious. This not only adds a dab of humor but makes their personalities shine, without plunging into deep character moments. The story keeps a steady pace, letting the clues pull from one scene to the next.

The secrets Alex and Asha uncover point at serious crimes and remain age appropriate. The mystery never talks down to the reader, but displays how appearances aren't always true and, sometimes, there's a lot more to things than even the second or third glance uncovers. This also introduces readers to archeology and problems in the museum realm as well as to Shakespeare, especially King Lear. There are a few lesser known vocabulary words to help readers build on that end, too. So, there's more to this book than first meets the eye.

It's a smooth, fun read, which keeps the reader guessing until the end and has some surprising twists. The characters are enjoyable and come across with natural finesse. It left me wanting to climb into the A&A treehouse and see what Alex and Asha will be up to next.

And here she is...

K. H. Saxton is an English teacher and boarding school administrator in Connecticut. The A&A Detective Agency: The Fairfleet Affair is her first novel.