Heng Zeng for The Washington Post
The Thief Knot
By Kate Milford
Ages 10 to 12
Who kidnapped an 11-year-old girl named Peony Hyde? Why? And where could she be?
Marzana and her best friend, Nialla, plunge eagerly into the mystery. Finally, something exciting is happening!
But this is no game. Nagspeake, the maritime city where they live, is full of secrets. There are forgotten tunnels, old smugglers, an odd tea shop. Even Marzana’s parents must hide their true identities. They join forces with law enforcement officials to find Peony and her captors, but like parents everywhere, they want to keep their daughter
(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
safe. They won’t let Marzana help.
So Marzana and Nialla continue their investigation in secret. They suspect Peony may be closer than the adults think.
The girls want to discover more about a dubious substitute teacher. And they must get their hands on the ransom note!
Marzana realizes that their team of two needs assistance. She and Nialla decide to put together a crew of kids with skills different from their own.
They first approach Emilia, a student who lives at their school. Poker-faced Emilia seeks out adventure. She opens doors, peers through windows, examines what she finds.
Emilia begins to unlock (often literally) the hidden side of the school for them.
Next to join the crew are a magician, who can fool the eye and use his cards as weapons, and his code-expert friend. The last member — a friendly ghost — can walk through walls.
All this time, Marzana is wrestling with her own secret: She doubts her ability to lead. She’s a quiet, often anxious person who likes to plan and strategize — not a commanding, confident type.
Even as she worries about saying or doing the wrong thing, Marzana knows time is running out for Peony. Will her crew of six be able to untangle all the strange secrets and rescue the girl?
And then a sneaky knot provides a valuable clue.
Nothing is as it seems in Nagspeake — or in this suspenseful, surprising novel.
