Twelfth

Beginning with a cast list and alternating between perspectives in the 1940s and 2015, Key's debut mingles a rich tradition of theater history and superstition with a Berkshires camp setting and a summer production of Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night." In 2015, rising seventh grader Maren Sands, her family's "smarty-pants," is experiencing quickly changing circumstances. With her musician father frequently on the road and her mother busy in Boston with her college-age sister Hadley, who is navigating depression, Maren is sent to Charlotte Goodman Theatre Camp--where Hadley once flourished, but where Maren feels out of place. It quickly becomes clear that the 60-year-old camp's future is uncertain, thanks to the arrival of determined developers, and Maren soon falls into a mystery surrounding a fire, a missing diamond ring, and the camp's late namesake, Charlotte "Charlie" Goodman. Alongside the puzzle, Maren navigates the murky waters of peer relationships, particularly with nonbinary bunkmate Theo Templeton, cued as Latinx, who lives life to the fullest. Deftly comparing past and present, the novel explores themes of gender identity and sexual orientation during Hollywood's "Lavender Scare" and today. Most protagonists read as white; back matter offers real-life facts behind the novel and discusses gender diversity. Ages 8-12. Agent: Heather Rizzo, Rizzo Literary. (May)

Gr 4-8--It's June 2015 and 12-year-old Maren is not all that excited to be attending the Charlotte Goodman Theater Camp for the summer. However, Maren is soon drawn into a mystery involving a series of clues that may lead to the missing diamond ring of Charlotte "Charlie" Goodman, the famous director who was said to perish in a fire and for whom the camp is named. Maren soon befriends aspiring filmmaker Theo, and together they begin to unravel the mystery, hoping to find the ring to save the camp, which needs funding. The novel deftly tackles serious topics like depression, homophobia, and transphobia. It also is wonderfully inclusive, as Theo is nonbinary and Charlie is gender nonconforming. Key wisely uses Shakespeare's Twelfth Night as the backdrop for her narrative, serving as the camp's main theater production, the basis for the clues for the mystery, and as the lost film Charlie had been working on before her demise. The story includes flashbacks to Charlie in the 1940s and 1950s, interspersed between Maren's chapters, which are set in June 2015, only weeks before gay marriage was made legal. End notes feature facts on theater, film, and LGBTQIA+ history as well as information on ways readers can seek help if they are struggling with depression. VERDICT A engrossing mystery with a diverse cast of characters; an insightful exploration of the topics of gender, depression, and sexuality; and a satisfying and comprehensive conclusion. Highly recommended.--Laura J. Giunta