So. Book trailers. I’ve seen my share. They are good. They are bad. Do they sell books? Probably some of them do, and considering how relatively cheap they are to produce it’s no wonder folks are encouraged to make them. But when you face facts, not all of them are winners. Very few, in fact, are worth watching.

Ladies and gentlemen . . . today’s video is worth watching.

Now I could just be saying that because I’m offering the premiere. But consider the evidence. The trailer is for a book by Kristen Kittscher, author of the critically-acclaimed middle grade mystery The Wig in the Window.  Did you read The Wig in the Window, by any chance?  If not, you’re in for a treat.  Good mysteries for kids are enormously tricky to write, but that book was not only smartly conceived, but a hoot to boot.  Now the sequel is on the horizon and things are looking good.  Unless you’re this group of executives, that is.  Then things are looking a bit more complicated:

My favorite line?  “Guys! Cake!”

Further info:

About Kristen: It’s no mystery why her middle grade debut, The Wig in the Window, was an Indie Bestseller, celebrated by School Library Journal (starred review), Kirkus, and Publishers Weekly, and was named to ten Best of Year lists, including “Best Books of the Year” by A Mighty Girl. Kristen is a graduate of Brown University, self-proclaimed “childhood spy,” and former 7th grade English teacher who wrote the book with her former students in mind. Kristen lives in Pasadena.

The Tiara on the Terrace: Inspired by the Tournament of Roses, get ready for parades, pageantry, suspense, and a hefty dose of hilarity as 7th grade spies Sophie Young and Grace Yang trade their high tops for high heels to investigate a deadly crime in this clever Miss Congeniality set in middle school! When the director of the Winter Sun Festival meets an untimely end, it’s up to our favorite savvy, wise-cracking sleuths to solve the case–before they become its next victims. Back by popular demand, this funny, fast-paced follow up to Kittscher’s acclaimed debut will thrill fans of the funny, clever humor and suspense in Pseudonymous Bosch and Gordon Korman’s books.

On shelves, January 5th.