The Mystery of the Lost Avenger by Linda Maria Frank

What worked:

The characters try to unravel a mystery from over seventy years prior, which makes collecting clues more challenging. The first question is why a love letter written by Charlotte is in the wreckage of a Navy warplane called an Avenger. Secondly, why are there a series of numbers written along the border of the letter? Annie and her boyfriend Ty question a 94-year-old man who worked with the production of Avengers, but they wonder why he suddenly cuts the interview short. Their efforts are aided by Annie’s mom, although she hasn’t had much contact with Annie due to her substance abuse. The research includes trips to the mom’s childhood home, where Charlotte’s old possessions are stored. On separate occasions, mother and daughter each spot a mysterious woman wearing a flowered dress whom they presume is Charlotte’s ghost. Why is she making an appearance now?

The book presents chapters written in italics that share flashbacks from Charlotte’s time as a WASP and builder of the Avengers. All of the book’s chapters are fairly short, which will appeal to younger readers. Charlotte’s first flashback is in chapter ten, and readers watch as she discovers a malfunction in an Avenger deemed ready for service. Other flashbacks reveal her suspicions about other malfunctions, but she’s not sure what to do with the information. Readers will piece together present-day clues with events from the flashbacks to solve the mystery of a young pilot’s death. Historical facts are mixed into the plot, so readers will also learn World War II information, especially about the WASPs.

What didn’t work as well:

Annie and Ty are college students, and all of the other characters are adults. It’s unusual for a middle-grade book to not have any characters of a similar age to the target audience. The narrative can easily be read by middle-grade readers, but the lives of older characters aren’t as relatable to a younger audience.

The final verdict:

The mystery is realistic without any strange twists, and it shares historical information that may be new to today’s young readers. It doesn’t have a dramatic climax, but what do you expect when the plot is based on events from decades earlier? Mystery and World War II lovers should give this book a shot.