Nooks & Crannies

Gr 4–7—Tabitha Crum and her sidekick, a mouse named Pemberley, love a good mystery. Luckily, she has so many in her life: why don't her parents love her? What will she do when they abandon her at the local orphanage? Why has she, of all people, been invited to spend the weekend at the estate of the reclusive Countess Camilla DeMoss? It is soon revealed that Tabitha, along with five other children, might be the long-lost grandchild of the eccentric Countess, thus inheriting her large fortune. However, it becomes clear that all is not what it seems at Hollingsworth Hall. Why does the Countess always carry knives? What really happened to the Countess' dead son? Are there ghosts at the Hall? When the electricity goes out and a dead body turns up, the whole house goes into a panic. But the biggest mystery of all is: who is the true heir to the fortune? While the story certainly gets its inspiration from many places—Roald Dahl, Trenton Lee Stewart, and Scooby Doo—the way in which it is told is original, engaging, and funny. Tabitha is a smart, plucky heroine whom readers will get behind: they'll cry with her when she feels unloved, they'll be scared with her in the dark, and they'll cheer when she wins in the end. The writing is beautiful, expertly capturing all the suspense, hope, and love in the story. The conclusion is satisfying but, thankfully, with the possibility of further adventures.