The Parker Inheritance

January 22, 2018
After her parents divorce, 12-year-old Candice Miller begrudgingly moves with her mother from Atlanta to the small town of Lambert, S.C., for the summer. In the attic of Candice’s late grandmother’s house she finds a letter addressed to her grandmother, which promises treasure to the city if the letter’s puzzle can be solved. Candice then learns that her grandmother’s efforts to do so years earlier cost her both her reputation and her job as the first African-American city manager in Lambert. Candice digs into the mystery along with Brandon, an 11-year-old neighbor who is being bullied. The two bookworms have just a few months to find the fortune and repair Candice’s grandmother’s legacy, and they come to discover how racism has poisoned the town over the years. It’s a gripping mystery, and the plot shifts smoothly between Candice’s present-day story and flashback sections that reveal Lambert’s history of injustice. Johnson (To Catch a Cheat) addresses important issues gracefully, particularly having the freedom to live a life of one’s choosing and the long-lasting effects of discrimination. Ages 8–12. Agent: Sara Crowe, Pippin Properties.

In assured, inquisitive tones, Cherise Booth unfurls a clever middle-grade mystery featuring intriguing characters and a town with a challenging history. When Candace moves to Lambert, South Carolina, for the summer with her mother, she uncovers a letter containing a puzzle and a request for the reader to right a decades-old wrong against a young woman and her family. Booth's pacing is well suited to Johnson's style, which unveils elements from the past with reverence while making clear their impact on the future. Booth deftly portrays Candace and her friend Brandon's enthusiastic sleuthing and enlivens a varied cast. Her narration maintains listeners' attention throughout Johnson's story of pain, hope, and growth. K.S.B. � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine