Seventh-grader Finley Walsh wants to be an adventurer. She her best friend Sophie had had adventures together, following in the footsteps of the women they read about in 100 of the World’s Greatest Female Adventurers—but lately, Sophie has been hanging out with new, less adventurous friends.
Over spring break, when their mom has to take a business trip, Sophie and her brothers stay with an adult cousin in a small Vermont town whose claim to fame is a young woman who went missing two decades ago after discovering a hidden treasure. Sophie wants to solve the mystery, not only to prove herself as an adventurer, but also to show Sophie what she’s missing, and to prove herself worthy of her mom’s attention. To do so, she’ll have to enlist the help of her younger and older brother, even though her older brother’s new crush is the son of one of the suspects. Her older brother’s coming out gay is a small but well-handled part of the narrative; Sophie is completely accepting, though a little annoyed at herself that she didn’t realize it sooner.
The story has a “true crime” vibe even though it is fictional, and may captivate readers interested in small-town mysteries.
Each chapter begins with a note about a different female adventurer, offering readers possible avenues for further exploration.
The main characters all read as White.
