Connect the Scotts: The Dead Kid Detective Agency

Gr 4–8—In the fourth installment of the series, young (and living) detective October Schwartz and her ghostly gang strive to uncover the events behind ghost Tabetha's death, while also juggling a contemporary investigation into a theft at school. A third thread unites the different books in the series as the friends continue their investigation into an enigmatic secret society, which seems to leave sticky fingerprints all over the suspicious activities in their town of Sticksville, Ontario. Three concurrent mysteries could easily become convoluted, but the plots are well woven through the voices of October, a third-person narrator, and black-and-white illustrations. Disguised as a light-hearted romp, upon deeper consideration, the story includes affecting historical information about the experience of enslaved people who escaped using the Underground Railroad during the U.S. Civil War, as well as illuminating insight into the racial injustice and bias confronted by people of color then and now. Plentiful pop culture references and witty dialogue flesh out the personalities of goth October and her haunting companions.