The Swallowtail Legacy 2: Betrayal by the Book

Michael D. Beil's Betrayal by the Book is the second Swallowtail Legacy mystery for 9 year olds, and it opens with a scream in the dark.

What happens

Lark is twelve, very tall and walking round with her arm in plaster. She's spending the summer on Swallowtail Island in Lake Erie with her little sister Pip, their stepdad Thomas and his three boys. The island is hosting a book festival, and Lark has bagged the job of looking after her favourite author, Ann E. Keyheart.

Meeting your hero doesn't go well. Keyheart is rude from the moment she steps off the ferry. She asks if Lark's parents are in the circus (Lark tells her, very sweetly, that they're dead). She drops her assistant's phone over the side and won't admit it.

Her assistant, Didi, is lovely. She's funny and kind, she's just finished writing her first novel, and it turns out she once knew Lark's mum.

Then comes the night the book opens on. Keyheart finds someone dead on her living room floor, and Lark is the one who comes running.

Lark tells the story herself, and she's great company. Sarcastic, sharp-eyed and quick with a comeback. She'll also admit when her mum's voice in her head tells her to be nice (usually a bit too late). There's a proper puzzle running alongside, with a silver bird hidden in a hollowed-out book and a clue that there might be another one somewhere on the island.

One thing to be aware of. Lark's mum died this spring, and her dad when she was five. Her voice keeps things from feeling gloomy, but grief is part of who she is. There's a tearful moment when Didi tells her about a day spent birdwatching with her mum years ago. A child who has lost a parent may find that very close to home.

The book doesn't open on anything gory. It starts with the scream, then winds back a few hours to explain.

What to read next

If they're after a clever detective with plenty of attitude, Lark is a great one to follow. The book before this, Wreck at Ada's Reef, is where she and Pip first step off the ferry, so it's the place to start if they haven't met her yet.