The Tiara on the Terrace

By: Kristen Kittscher

Narrated by: Amanda Philipson

In this funny, clever novel, perfect for fans of Pseudonymous Bosch and Gordon Korman and a companion to The Wig in the Window, tween sleuths Sophie Young and Grace Yang go undercover at Luna Vista's Winter Sun Festival to catch a murderer before he - or she - strikes again.

Sophie Young and Grace Yang have been taking it easy ever since they solved the biggest crime Luna Vista had ever seen. But things might get interesting again now that everyone is gearing up for the 125th annual Winter Sun Festival - a town tradition that involves floats, a parade, and a royal court made up of local high school girls.

When festival president Jim Steptoe turns up dead on the first day of parade preparations, the police blame a malfunctioning giant s'more feature on the campfire-themed float. But the two sleuths are convinced the mysterious death wasn't an accident.

Young and Yang must trade their high-tops for high heels and infiltrate the royal court to solve the case. But if they fail, they might just be the next victims.

©2016 Kristen Kittscher (P)2016 HarperCollins Publishers

Young and Yang Ride Again!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

A solid mystery/adventure/friend story for middle grade readers and a worthy follow-up to The Wig in the Window. The main characters are wacky yet credible for the intended audience of 4th-8th grade readers, and as an adult I enjoyed the supporting characters in this book more than in Kittscher's first novel.

What did you like best about this story?

The dynamic between the three girl "agents" as they track down leads and interact with some very quirky townsfolk kept me entertained from beginning to end.

What does Amanda Philipson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narration is consistent. I didn't love the voices for the two main characters, as they sounded a little too juvenile based on my own idea of Young and Yang, but the rest of the character voices more than made up for that. Amanda Philipson is quite talented.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I didn't listen to this all in one sitting, and moved back and forth between the audio and the text, but I did finish the book in only a few days because I kept wondering what would happen next.

Great mystery for middle schoolers

Growing up I loved a good solid mystery. Ones like Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden or the Bobbsey Twins. I'm sure there were more, but those are the ones I always remember. Tiara on the Terrace fell solidly into that category. It was a great little mystery that had me guessing the whole time! Yes I figure out a few small things BUT so many things I thought I knew just turned out to be wrong! I loved that. A few times I caught myself thinking "No way! I didn't see that coming!". I can't ask for much more in a book. The book did offer more though. I loved the friendship between the two girls and the growing pains it is facing. I found it very realistic. At that age kids do start liking different things that might not be the same as the best friend they've always had. And it was handled so well. Watching girls of this age go through similar things I completely bought into their friendship and what it goes through in the book.

Oh can I also say the book made me giggle a few times! One of the other girls that is a Page in the royal court just made me giggle. She's a tomboy but jumped right into all the girly things with gusto and humor. LOVED HER!

Thoughts for the library: A resounding yes! It's a book I can recommend to so many kids, and it's my go-to book for those that love mysteries.

Thoughts on the audiobook: As usual I had to get used to the female narrator, but once accustomed to her voice she did a great job!

Final Thought: Solid mystery. Great characters. Fun read. Now I need to read the first book!