The Tiara on the Terrace by Kristen Kittscher

I thought Kittscher once again managed to capture the challenges facing young people trying to balance the ties of friendship with the desire to fit in. Although the police seem to be treating it as an accident, Young and Yang know better, and together with their good friend (and budding mechanical genius) Trista Bottoms, they decide to go undercover as Royal Pages at the festival, in order to investigate.I enjoyed this second foray into the world of tween sleuths Sophie and Grace, although it did take me a little longer to become involved in the story than it did with the first. This time the young sleuths become involved in a murder-mystery when the president of The Winter Sun Festival - an important annual event in their California town - is found dead. Read moreīest friends and middle-grade crime-fighting duo Sophie Young and Grace Yang return in this second adventure, following up on their debut in The Wig in the Window. But if they fail, they might just be the next victims.

Young and Yang must trade their high tops for high heels and infiltrate the Royal Court to solve the case. But the two sleuths are convinced the mysterious death wasn't an accident. When Festival president Jim Steptoe turns up dead on the first day of parade preparations, the police blame a malfunctioning giant s'more feature on the campfire-themed float. But things might get interesting again now that everyone is gearing up for the 125th annual Winter Sun Festival-a town tradition that involves floats, a parade, and a Royal Court made up of local high school girls. Sophie Young and Grace Yang have been taking it easy ever since they solved the biggest crime Luna Vista had ever seen. In this funny, clever novel, perfect for fans of Pseudonymous Bosch and Gordon Korman and a companion to The Wig in the Window, tween sleuths Sophie Young and Grace Yang go undercover at Luna Vista's Winter Sun Festival to catch a murderer before he-or she-strikes again.

The Tiara on the Terrace by Kristen Kittscher