Margaret A. Edwards Award winner Tiffany D. Jackson (The Weight of Blood; Grown) delivers a tightly paced, captivating summer murder mystery in her middle-grade debut, Blood in the Water.
Twelve-year-old Brooklynite Kaylani's focus this summer is to study for the entry exam for a pre-law camp, where she hopes to learn how to help reverse her dad's wrongful conviction and free him from prison. But her parents have different plans for her: she'll be spending the next four weeks on Martha's Vineyard with her grandma's "bougie church friend" and her granddaughters. Twelve-year-old London and 16-year-old Cassie make Kaylani feel like an "out-of-place piece of furniture" for not having a phone and being a rule follower, so she's resolved to spend her days at the library. But a local boy's mysterious death prompts Kaylani to find out what happened, and in doing so, she unveils secrets that will send shockwaves through the island's wealthy Black community.
Jackson successfully adapts her trademark sharp social commentary and propulsive plotting for a middle-grade audience in this adeptly layered thriller, where scandal, secrecy, and mystery abound. Not only does she balance thrills and chills with the escapism of a good beach read, she also masterfully delves into the complexities of wealth disparity. Jackson showcases the rich cultural history of the island's affluent Black community, then adroitly contrasts it with Kaylani's experience growing up poor with an incarcerated parent. This atmospheric summer thriller is both riveting and illuminating. --Lana Barnes, freelance reviewer and proofreader