Summary
Truly Lovejoy was devastated by her family’s move to Pumpkin Falls, NH. It’s January, so the weather is awful. It’s so cold, a waterfall is freezing, and it snows all the time. They were supposed to be living in their very own house in Texas, down the road from Truly’s cousin/best friend after years of military housing. After her father’s accident, days before he was supposed to come home and retire, though, everything changed.
Now, Truly’s father and his sister are running the family bookstore for their parents who have joined the peace corps. That means a mid-year school change for Truly and her siblings. A new town, a new school, and tons of new people.
Truly usually tries to blend into the background. It’s been pretty easy at home since she’s the middle kid of five. It’s harder in public when she’s almost 6 feet tall and not quite 13 years old yet. Usually she can manage to fade into the woodwork anyway. But when she finds a letter with a scavenger hunt clue tucked into a rare book at the store, Truly will need the help of her new classmates to solve the mystery.
Review
I had heard great things about the Pumpkin Falls Mystery series for years, but this was my first chance to try it out. What a delight!
The mysteries are fun. The 20 year old scavenger hunt pushes Truly to get to know her new home town and her classmates. There are also some fun references to Much Ado About Nothing, one of my favorite Shakespeare plays.
The family bookstore is a great place for characters to meet, story elements to unfold, and Truly’s family to start to heal. I adored the shop and all of the activities centered there. And Truly’s family (and her friends) are a treat.
The characters are what makes this book special. From Truly’s dad who is adjusting to a disability and the change in all of his ideas of what his retirement would look like to each of Truly’s friends who are distinct and delightful, there are tons of great characters in this. But Truly is my favorite of them all. She may not tell the adults in her life everything she is thinking and feeling, but she is very clear in her own mind. I loved watching her process the changes in her family, the transition to her new school, and the mysteries she stumbles into. I can’t wait to read the other books in this series!
Rating: ♥♥♥♥½*
*♥♥♥♥½ = Loved it! Would re-read.