The Clueless Guide to Solving a Mystery (Clueless #1) (Samera Kamaleddine, illus Hykie Breeze, HarperCollins)

In The Clueless Guide to Solving a Mystery, the first instalment in the Clueless series, Samera Kamaleddine (The Sideways Orbit of Evie Hart) introduces readers to Claudia. She is temporarily living at Boonside Heights Retirement Village with her grandma and pop while her parents are on a once-in-a-lifetime cruise. Between Irish dancing and being told to “mind her onions”, the highlight of Claudia’s week is when the cool kids from school, cousins Yasmin and Zayn, visit their tayta on Friday night. She’s convinced they’re destined to become best friends. When a locked gate, a Wi-Fi outage and a mysterious note disrupt the start of an otherwise ordinary weekend, Claudia sees her chance to connect with the cousins. Banding together, they decide to play detective, without the slightest clue where to begin. The novel’s unique setting provides a rich backdrop for exploring intergenerational relationships and cultural connections. While gently touching on dementia and death, the story explores what we discover when we take the time to listen to others, what friendship means, and why being true to yourself matters at any age. Hykie Breeze (Ella and the Amazing Frog Orchestra) brings the characters’ personalities to life through her expressive illustrations and captures the setting with small details that enhance the storytelling. With maps and historical facts, Kamaleddine has created a warm and humorous adventure for readers aged 9 and up that will appeal to fans of Katrina Nannestad and H Hayek.

Books+Publishing reviewer: M H Alessandrino is a Perth-based freelance writer and reviewer. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

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