Andi Unexpected

August 19, 2013
Adult mystery author Flower (the Appleseed Creek series) makes her middle-grade debut with this first book in the Andi Boggs series about a generations-old secret that become a stabilizing focus for two grieving sisters. When their parents die in a plane crash, 12-year-old Andi and her teenage sister, Bethany, come to live with their free-spirited aunt in a small Ohio college town. While settling into her new home and exploring the attic, Andi happens upon a long-hidden box containing mementos of a namesake ancestor, Andora Boggs. Her new friend and neighbor Colin enthusiastically joins Andi’s search for more information about who Andora really was, and what she meant not only to the Boggs family but also to the entire town. Flower creates a cast of memorable characters and a colorful, historically detailed setting. Though a somewhat sinister foe threatens to derail Andi’s investigation, she proves a resourceful sleuth. Throughout, the realistic but warm rapport between the sisters and their aunt is the tent pole for a story about starting anew while remembering the past. Ages 8-11. Agent: Nicole Resciniti, The Seymour Agency. (Oct.)■

September 1, 2013
This series opener for middle-grade mystery fans introduces sixth-grade amateur detective Andi Boggs and her sidekick, next-door-neighbor Colin. Andi, short for Andora, and her older sister, Bethany, recently lost their scientist parents in a plane crash and have moved in with their aunt Amelie, who lives in the longtime family home in the remote little Ohio college town of Killdeer. There, Andi discovers a mysterious chest labeled "Andora" in the attic. No one, however, appears to know anything about this other Andora, who the kids discover was born in 1929. Curious about her namesake, Andi decides to investigate with her new partner, Colin. Enter the villain of the book, the egotistical local historian Dr. Girard, who'll do nearly anything to get interesting material for his new book about children of the Great Depression. Flower weaves in some history and also shines a light on the emotional difficulties the two recently orphaned girls experience, especially Bethany, who lashes out at those around her. Characterizations, while never complex, stand out as nicely individualistic. The mystery itself is intriguing enough, especially as the children uncover a few more clues about the mysterious Andora. Some life-threatening suspense highlights the book's climax, and a small smattering of religion keeps the story appropriate for a Christian audience. A fun little detective story with some simple life lessons. (Mystery. 10-14)

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January 1, 2014

Gr 4-6-Twelve-year-old science-loving Andi Boggs and her artistic older sister, Bethany, are still reeling from the death of their parents. They are sent to live with an aunt in rural Ohio in the family's ancestral home. When Andi finds a mysterious box full of baby trinkets and memorabilia of another Andora Boggs from the 1930s, Andi and her new friend Colin are determined to find out who baby Andora was and what happened to her. As they look for clues in the town's museum, the sleuths discover that they are not the only ones on the case; townsfolk may be covering up the real story. Are their reasons sentimental or sinister? Action-packed with appealing characters and great plot twists, the book is a solid mystery series opener. Andi is sure to please kids with her earnest likability and determined constitution. Give this one to kids ready to move on from Jane O'Connor's "Nancy Clancy Super Sleuth" books (HarperCollins).-Terry Ann Lawler, Burton Barr Library, Phoenix, AZ

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2013
Grades 5-7 After their parents die in a plane crash in Guatemala, 12-year-old Andora and her older sister, Bethany, move to Killdeer, Ohio, to live with their quirky, young English professor aunt. Aunt Amelie offers Andi the attic as a bedroom, provided that she cleans it out, and Andi jumps at the chance. While cleaning, she discovers an old trunk packed with baby clothes and a 1930 baby photo of another Andora Boggs. Her identity is shrouded in mystery, but feisty, quick-minded Andi and her new friend, Colin, set out to piece together the clues. However, they soon learn they have competition in the endeavor: Dr. Girard, a history professor who will stop at nothing to steal the information. In the upstanding tradition of Nancy Drew and Harriet the Spy, Andi is spunky and unafraid to take risks, though she draws the line when Colin's life is threatened. Flower, an accomplished adult mystery author, offers here her first work for children, but not her lastsequels are on the way.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)