Given all the travel I have between now and the school-year kicking off, this will be my last post of the summer. So I’m thrilled to go out with a bang and spotlight this brain-bending story by fellow Carolinian Varian Johnson—The Parker Inheritance!

This is one of those books that defies the easy categories we usually go to. Is it historical? A contemporary ‘issue’ book? A mystery? Is it even entirely middle-grade? The answer is it’s all of them–and yes, it actually pulls off that tall order with admirable panache!

The contemporary mystery (and most MG) element of the book focuses on Candice and her new friend Brandon, as they explore a mysterious letter Candice found in her Grandma’s attic. The letter is very mysterious, hinting at a dark secret of racial wrong-doing, and promising a large inheritance while providing clues to anyone brave enough to search out the truth–and it’s linked to Candice’s grandma having left town in shame. Since Candice and her mom are staying in her Grandma’s old house (thanks to her parents divorce necessitating the sale of their home in Atlanta), she’s happy to pursue the clues as a way to pass time that summer while maybe clearing her grandma’s name and getting enough cash to save her house in Atlanta.

Meanwhile, the background behind the mystery she and Brandon explore is given in chapters from different povs, as the reader sees first hand what happened to the Washington family, and why the town is so reluctant to reveal the truth that the mayor ordered anyone in the city administration who received the letter to treat it like a hoax and throw it away. Candice’s grandma ignored that order and tried to solve the mystery, but took a misstep and ended up looking a bit of a fool instead, leading in turn to her being forced to ‘resign’ from her job and leave town. Thankfully, she raised Candice to love puzzles and riddles, and with Brandon’s inside scoop on the town and their shared book love, the two make a great team.

I don’t want to say too much about the clues and mystery because I’d feel awful if I spoiled it for you–but it’s definitely a satisfying set of clues with more brain-bending than is common in middle grade mysteries. The clues in the letter and the mind puzzles sprinkled throughout go way beyond ‘who dunnit’ and involve ciphers, as well as word and logic riddles. I really enjoy that kind of thing, so was grinning throughout and super impressed with the way the writing and puzzling dove-tailed to create an amazing package that also takes on issues of racism and LGBTQ dicrimination head on, drawing some insightful parellels.
I was also really impressed by the deft handling of the different timelines and povs. A book that attempts this much often winds up a hot mess, but that was not the case here. In fact, the story was so well balanced that I could never make up my mind if I preferred the chapters set back in time, or the contemporary mystery ones. Each has their strengths, as the historic chapters have highly compelling content, and I think those characters and their passions will stay with me longest, living in vivid detail in my brain. Balanced against that, the mystery Candice and Brandon are exploring was written in a clean, paired down style that felt authentic to these contemporary kids, and pulled me along no matter what my lights-out time, with high-stakes plotting and intriguing clues.

I highly recommend this story to every classroom and family of readers! My one caution is that I wonder if precocious younger readers will pick it up–thanks to the cartoon-style cover and slim descriptive hints on the back cover–and find themselves in over their heads. They’d probably still enjoy it, but I hope there’d be an adult reader somewhere nearby who could help them cope with some of the more painful historic content, and make sure they understand which words–like negro–should not become part of their common-use vocabulary.

It’s clear I loved it! Let’s see if I can get the cats to weigh in:

I did mention this book has lots of cool riddles, right? In fact, it’s also made me realize I should have read The Westing Game a long time ago, since some of the kids’ clues tie back to it. Mystery readers will love The Parker Inheritance, but so will kids who love riddles and puzzles–which is most kids. 😀

I can’t wait to hear what you’re all reading! I need to stock up on books before my trips, because we all know the most dreaded moment for a traveler is when you’re stuck somewhere…with nothing to read. 😉

For the full run-down of Marvelous Middle Grade Monday reviews, spotlights, interviews and giveaways, stop by Greg Pattridge’s blog, and happy reading!