Trouble at the Tangerine

Simon Hyde has never really had a home. Every few months, Simon’s parents load everything into their van, aptly named Vincent Van Go, and find their next home. Then they post all about it on their popular blog, The Hydes Go Seek. Frankly, Simon is tired of it. He wants to stay in one place for the whole school year.

When they land at their apartment in the Tangerine Pines, Simon decides this is the place. He will make real friends and decorate his room and be a regular kid. But there is a robbery in the building, and Simon’s parents worry it’s not a good place. Simon makes friends with a girl named Amaya, who has secrets of her own, and they set out to solve the burglary so Simon’s parents won’t move.

Gillian McDunn has written a fun whodunit with plenty of red herrings to keep readers stymied and interested. Her writing is excellent, the characters are well-rounded, quirky, and believable, and the story is compelling. The themes of friendship, family, and home are ones middle-graders will relate to and sympathize with. Mysteries are always popular favorites for young readers, and this will not disappoint.