My rating: 5 of 5 stars
With mystery, family, friendships, and secrets, SISTERHOOD OF SLEUTHS has something for everyone.
Sisterhood of Sleuths is an entertaining middle-grade novel featuring both a mystery and the effects of growing up on friendships. It feels like the main character, Maizy, is faced with change from all sides: at school with her best friend, Izzy, at home with her older brother leaving for his first year at college, and even in her relationship with her beloved Jacuzzi who is definitely keeping secrets.
The author subtly portrays how individuals mature at different rates, with their interests evolving along the way. She shows how friendships also change over time. For some, the changes are gradual and gentle but leave others, sometimes, sorrowful and bereft. I loved how that theme was developed to include the three generations of women in Maizy's family, how those relationships were damaged, and how they are eventually resolved.I felt the Nancy Drew plotline was brilliant: how it connected the generations and the actual history of the series, its beginnings, the revisions of the 50s, and Mildred Wirt Benson's entire story. I particularly liked the parallels Maizy could draw between herself and Benson's experiences.
With its emphasis on friendships, especially at the middle-school age range, the mystery of Jacuzzi's old photo, Cam's rejection of stereotypically feminine dress and assignments, and the sprinkling of that unique style of middle-school boy humor from Link and Ben in the school project, the story has a little something for everyone. I recommend SISTERHOOD OF SLEUTHS to middle-grade fiction readers, especially those who enjoy the Nancy Drew series and those experiencing changes in their childhood friendships.I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author or publisher through NetGalley and TBR and Beyond Book Tours.
