Island of Spies
by Sheila Turnage (Author)
"The Dime Novel Kids are spunky, spirited, smart, sassy--and so is Sheila Turnage's writing. It sizzles and sparkles." --Lauren Wolk, author of Newbery Honor Book Wolf Hollow
From the Newbery Honor-winning author of Three Times Lucky comes a middle grade WWII spy mystery with as much humor and heart as high stakes
Twelve-year-old Stick Lawson lives on Hatteras Island, North Carolina, where life moves steady as the tides, and mysteries abound as long as you look really hard for them. Stick and her friends Rain and Neb are good at looking hard. They call themselves the Dime Novel Kids. And the only thing Stick wants more than a paying case for them to solve is the respect that comes with it. But on Hatteras, the tides are changing. World War II looms, curious newcomers have appeared on the small island, and in the waters off its shores, a wartime menace lurks that will upend Stick's life and those of everyone she loves. The Dimes are about to face more mysteries than they ever could have wished for, and risk more than they ever could have imagined.
"Big, beautifully unfolding adventure and mystery, [and characters] who jump off the page and straight into your heart." --Kimberly Willis Holt, author of National Book Award Winner When Zachary Beaver Came to Town
"Charming and funny, [abounding in] codes and clues, spies, and double agents." --PW
"Lively narration will quickly draw readers into the story, which twists and turns cleverly". --Booklist
"A little-known piece of American history [makes for] an entertaining saga of island life." --Kirkus
"Stick is the kind of protagonist I wish was my best friend . . . . I can't get enough of her." --Gennifer Choldenko, author of Newbery Honor Book Al Capone Does My Shirts
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Publishers Weekly
Turnage's (The Law of Finders Keepers) clever 1942-set mystery is based on the real-life torpedoing of American ships off the coast of North Carolina during WWII. Observant narrator Sarah Stickley "Stick" Lawson is a white 12-year-old "apprentice scientist and pre-FBI agent if the FBI ever writes us back" who, with best friends 10-year-old Rain, who has brown skin, and white 12-year-old Neb, make up the Dime Novel Kids. Operating out of a lighthouse and using skills they've learned from reading mysteries, the kids comb Hatteras Island to solve self-assigned cases, such as trying to catch the island's petty thief. When German U-boats sink an American ship off the island's coast and suspicious newcomers arrive, the Dimes pivot their attention to discovering the Nazi spy they are sure is helping to orchestrate the attacks. Stick's keen observations are as charming and funny as the island setting, the kids' antics, and the quirky cast, while her passion for equality is depicted through her insistence that girls should be allowed to defend the island and her staunch defense of Rain, who experiences racism on the largely white island. With codes and clues, spies and double agents, and plenty of made-up references to mystery novels, Turnage's plot is a complicated maze that requires close attention, even as one message is made abundantly clear: "In times of danger, bet on each other." An author's note concludes. Ages 9-12. Agent: Margaret Riley King, WME. (Sept.)
Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
"Stick and the Dime Novel Kids jump off the page and straight into your heart. Sheila Turnage is a master plotter, delivering big, beautifully unfolding adventure and mystery against an historical event. Her skilled use of humor, even in the most poignant moments, is enviable. Sometimes you can tell when a writer loved writing their story. Turnage must have had a heck of a great time!" —Kimberly Willis Holt, author of National Book Award Winner When Zachary Beaver Came to Town "Sheila Turnage is a master of voice. Stick is the kind of protagonist I wish was my best friend—she makes me laugh out loud, smile to myself, and wish I could sit next to her at lunch. I can't get enough of her." —Gennifer Choldenko, author of Newbery Honor Book Al Capone Does My Shirts
JUV016150 - Juvenile Fiction | Historical | United States - 20th Century
JUV039020 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Adolescence
JUV067000 - Juvenile Fiction | Thrillers & Suspense
