(2) 4-6 Wren, a bicultural seventh grader, lives with uncertainty and grief after the disappearance five years earlier of her mother, who is Cherokee. Wren's single-mindedness about solving that mystery borders on obsession until Elisi (her grandmother) channels the girl's "finding" skills to locating missing pets in their Oklahoma town. Wren is helped along by access to information provided by (or stolen from) her white dad, a rule-following police chief. Her new friend Brantley enthusiastically jumps into the investigation, with surprising results. The crimes committed against animals allude to those perpetrated against Native women, allowing Reno (Cherokee Nation) to speak to children on their level while not eliding the horror of abuse and murder. This novel lends itself to discussion of many complex topics: Missing and Murdered Indigenous People, child abuse, bullying, grief, historic events such as the Trail of Tears; and on the positive side, Native American religions and traditions, the Cherokee language and its revitalization, and tribal sovereignty. It's also simply a good murder mystery, with suspense, foreshadowing, allusion, and believable plot points (and even some humor), successfully walking the line between an authentic portrayal of the dark side of human nature and accessible writing for tweens and young teens.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2025