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American Girl Mysteries
The Hidden Gold: A Marie-Grace Mystery
Marie-Grace can’t wait to begin her journey up the Mississippi River with her father. The steamboat they’re traveling on is the biggest and fanciest boat Marie-Grace has ever seen. It’s crowded with all sorts of interesting passengers, including Wilhelmina Newman, a girl her age. Wilhelmina is traveling alone, and she’s carrying a secret in one of her trunks—clues to hidden Gold Rush treasure. Marie-Grace and Wilhelmina have to unravel the clues to find the gold—and they’re not the only ones looking for it! An illustrated “Looking Back” essay provides facts about the 1850s.
150 pages, Hardcover
First published March 9, 2012
About the author
Sarah Masters Buckey
29 books48 followersSarah Masters Buckey was raised in New Jersey and lived in Texas for 15 years. Sarah was nominated for the Agatha Award in 2008 for A Thief in the Theater and in 2005 for The Curse of Ravenscourt. She was nominated for an Edgar Award in 2007 for The Stolen Sapphire.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
December 1, 2021
The great AG marathon continues. Again, reading for the first time as an adult.
I am torn.
Based on what I've read so far (nine AG mysteries and counting), they often take the protagonist out of her usual setting (so far, seven of my nine have done this). On the one hand, this broadens our view of her world, we see places and elements that aren't in the core series. And it's an easy way to introduce plenty of new characters to serve as suspects.
On the other hand, it also tends to make the story more about the new place and new characters than it is about our protagonist. (Procedurals do this all the time: the mystery is the main plot and then maybe there's a secondary plot that concerns the protagonists' private lives.) This book is not about Marie-Grace. It's about Wilhemina, from Marie-Grace's point of view. For characters who are better established - Molly, Felicity, Caroline - this wouldn't be a big deal. But when you're Marie-Grace Gardner and you got short-changed in your core series to begin with, this is a little disappointing. There is zero character development for Marie-Grace here.
The mystery itself is reasonably entertaining. Wilhemina has just collected her late father's possessions, which she believes include a substantial amount of gold...somewhere. Her father loved riddles - a theme that could have been a fun thread throughout the book, but mostly isn't. A letter and a book of nursery rhymes are all Wilhemina has to go on, and while the girls figure it out in the end, the connections are pretty tenuous. It feels like Buckey planned to write an actual riddle for Wilhemina to solve, and then just decided not to write one after all.
The rest of the cast is pretty forgettable. There's a helpful pilot and a couple of nuns, a couple who do a magic act, a little girl who gets in the way, a couple of slightly suspicious but largely interchangeable gentlemen, and one nasty piece of work who cheats at cards.
Although I did make the spider connection, I never would have figured out the full solution to this one - it was a clever move on Dad's part! But like the average episode of your detective show of choice, this one is diverting while you're in it, but doesn't have much heft.
I am torn.
Based on what I've read so far (nine AG mysteries and counting), they often take the protagonist out of her usual setting (so far, seven of my nine have done this). On the one hand, this broadens our view of her world, we see places and elements that aren't in the core series. And it's an easy way to introduce plenty of new characters to serve as suspects.
On the other hand, it also tends to make the story more about the new place and new characters than it is about our protagonist. (Procedurals do this all the time: the mystery is the main plot and then maybe there's a secondary plot that concerns the protagonists' private lives.) This book is not about Marie-Grace. It's about Wilhemina, from Marie-Grace's point of view. For characters who are better established - Molly, Felicity, Caroline - this wouldn't be a big deal. But when you're Marie-Grace Gardner and you got short-changed in your core series to begin with, this is a little disappointing. There is zero character development for Marie-Grace here.
The mystery itself is reasonably entertaining. Wilhemina has just collected her late father's possessions, which she believes include a substantial amount of gold...somewhere. Her father loved riddles - a theme that could have been a fun thread throughout the book, but mostly isn't. A letter and a book of nursery rhymes are all Wilhemina has to go on, and while the girls figure it out in the end, the connections are pretty tenuous. It feels like Buckey planned to write an actual riddle for Wilhemina to solve, and then just decided not to write one after all.
The rest of the cast is pretty forgettable. There's a helpful pilot and a couple of nuns, a couple who do a magic act, a little girl who gets in the way, a couple of slightly suspicious but largely interchangeable gentlemen, and one nasty piece of work who cheats at cards.
Although I did make the spider connection, I never would have figured out the full solution to this one - it was a clever move on Dad's part! But like the average episode of your detective show of choice, this one is diverting while you're in it, but doesn't have much heft.
August 4, 2020
3.5 stars, rounded up because this was such a pleasant surprise.
About a month ago, I purchased a variety of American Girl mysteries that the library no longer owns, and this was one of them. It was a gamble, since I had thought the first Marie-Grace book was boring and had never continued with the series, but it was cheap and in good condition, and I was already buying enough to get free shipping, so I added this in. Then, when I read the whole original series and disliked almost all of it, I thought this might have been a mistake.
Fortunately, this mystery is a tremendous improvement on the other books. Since it is a mystery, it has to have a plot, and even though the story's events did not have a key impact on Marie-Grace herself, the stakes were very high for the girl that she was trying to help. I found this very engaging, and the resolution was clever. I am impressed with how many different types of mysteries the American Girl authors have devised without getting repetitive, and it shows the adult market that it is possible to have an engaging mystery without a body dropping.
This book also has a vivid, interesting steamboat setting. I enjoyed the historical details, the memories that this evoked for me from childhood reads, and the ways that the steamboat setting narrowed the book's focus and made it more like a locked room mystery. This was a huge improvement on the books set in New Orleans, because there was a tight plot, more character development, real stakes, and a fully satisfying conclusion.
About a month ago, I purchased a variety of American Girl mysteries that the library no longer owns, and this was one of them. It was a gamble, since I had thought the first Marie-Grace book was boring and had never continued with the series, but it was cheap and in good condition, and I was already buying enough to get free shipping, so I added this in. Then, when I read the whole original series and disliked almost all of it, I thought this might have been a mistake.
Fortunately, this mystery is a tremendous improvement on the other books. Since it is a mystery, it has to have a plot, and even though the story's events did not have a key impact on Marie-Grace herself, the stakes were very high for the girl that she was trying to help. I found this very engaging, and the resolution was clever. I am impressed with how many different types of mysteries the American Girl authors have devised without getting repetitive, and it shows the adult market that it is possible to have an engaging mystery without a body dropping.
This book also has a vivid, interesting steamboat setting. I enjoyed the historical details, the memories that this evoked for me from childhood reads, and the ways that the steamboat setting narrowed the book's focus and made it more like a locked room mystery. This was a huge improvement on the books set in New Orleans, because there was a tight plot, more character development, real stakes, and a fully satisfying conclusion.
March 4, 2022
Worst AG book ever. The problem is that Marie-Grace is not the main character, this story is not about her. Wilhemina is way more interesting and MG is just her boring sidekick. I wish this was set in New Orleans. If it had to be on a steamboat which is very interesting, it should have been Uncle Luc's steamboat. And it feels like it copied Samantha's Stolen Sapphire mystery only with less interesting characters.
November 18, 2024
I literally love this book so much I read it like 70 times!!
July 9, 2017
This one was good. It was a quick read and I couldn't figure out the mystery for the life of me! Lol
February 17, 2012
Eleven-year-old Marie-Grace Gardner and her father are travelling up the Mississippi River on a steamboat to visit his friends in Pennsylvania in the spring of 1854. Although she will miss her friends and family in New Orleans, Marie-Grace likes travelling on the elegant steamboat. Shortly after boarding the steamboat, Marie-Grace meets another girl her age, Wilhelmina Newman.
Wilhelmina came to New Orleans to find her dying father, who became sick while traveling home from the California Gold Rush. She arrived too late, and found that her father had already died. He was supposed to be bringing home gold that he found in California, and Wilhelmina desperately needs to find that gold, because her mother died while her father was away and her grandmother can't afford to keep Wilhelmina and her two younger brothers much longer. If she doesn't find the gold, her brothers will have to go live with other relatives. After losing her parents, Wilhelmina is determined that she and her siblings must not be separated. Marie-Grace wants to help her new friend, but where could the gold be? And is a fellow passenger also trying to find the gold, so he can steal it?
I enjoyed the original American Girls book series about Marie-Grace, so I was looking forward to reading this book. While I enjoyed it, I didn't like it quite as much as the main series, because the historical setting was not as interesting. However, despite being much older than the target audience, my guess for who the villain was turned out to be completely wrong! I think younger fans of the series would really enjoy this book, but for the older fans like me who have loved the series since childhood, this is probably not the most interesting of the books.
Wilhelmina came to New Orleans to find her dying father, who became sick while traveling home from the California Gold Rush. She arrived too late, and found that her father had already died. He was supposed to be bringing home gold that he found in California, and Wilhelmina desperately needs to find that gold, because her mother died while her father was away and her grandmother can't afford to keep Wilhelmina and her two younger brothers much longer. If she doesn't find the gold, her brothers will have to go live with other relatives. After losing her parents, Wilhelmina is determined that she and her siblings must not be separated. Marie-Grace wants to help her new friend, but where could the gold be? And is a fellow passenger also trying to find the gold, so he can steal it?
I enjoyed the original American Girls book series about Marie-Grace, so I was looking forward to reading this book. While I enjoyed it, I didn't like it quite as much as the main series, because the historical setting was not as interesting. However, despite being much older than the target audience, my guess for who the villain was turned out to be completely wrong! I think younger fans of the series would really enjoy this book, but for the older fans like me who have loved the series since childhood, this is probably not the most interesting of the books.
March 1, 2012
This is a good historical mystery that is not too scary for young readers. It flows well and kept my interest throughout.
August 18, 2023
This was a decent kid's mystery. It was pretty obvious who the culprit was going to be from the start, but it was a quick, enjoyable book. I love Marie-Grace as a protagonist and Wilhelmina acts as a great foil to her.
150 pages
150 pages
July 12, 2022
This book was so good! It was very hard to put down. It was a little predictable. As far as the mystery, it was good, but to be honest, I was really hoping for an actual riddle but didn't end up getting one. That was a little disappointing. But, overall it was a great book!
Also, I love the little "Historical Note" at the end of the book. They really help you grasp the time period. I thought it was nice that Buckey included a little sentence about Mark Twain and how "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" was set on the Mississippi River as well. :)
Also, I love the little "Historical Note" at the end of the book. They really help you grasp the time period. I thought it was nice that Buckey included a little sentence about Mark Twain and how "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" was set on the Mississippi River as well. :)
May 12, 2026
My daughter and I read this aloud together. It was a nice read. I think Wilhelmina did more sleuthing than Marie Grace. I did love the description of the steamboat and the Mississippi River. Wouldn't it be wonderful to take a steamboat cruise like that today? Marie Grace was a nice girl and so good of her to take Wilhelmina in before the girl was removed from the boat.
November 8, 2019
*review is a WIP*
December 16, 2020
This was a nice quick read. The mystery wasn't difficult to solve though. I felt as though it was pretty weak. Marie-Grace is fairly bland in this.
February 3, 2026
A very enthralling mystery with a nice tie in to things that would still be important in 1854.
January 16, 2014
This engaging American Girl mystery is about Marie-Grace Gardner traveling on a steamboat up the Mississippi River. In the beginning, Marie-Grace writes to her friend, Cecile, as soon as she boards the steamboat; she is excited about the journey. Othe boat, she meets German passenger, Wilhemina Newman, whose father died a few days before. The secret is that Wilhemina's father has hidden gold. In order to find the gold. Marie-Grace helps Wilhemina solve the nursery rhyme-related clues that even stumped me. Even though I am way past the prime demographic (ages 8-12), I found the mystery challenging enough for me. I think this mystery will not disappoint fans of American Girl books; there are enough twists to keep them on their feet while they can experience the signature charm of historical fiction. I would suggest reading the core Marie-Grace books so that readers can become familiar with Marie-Grace. Don't miss "Looking Back: A Peek Into the Past" at the end. I have learned quite a bit about traveling on the steamboat in the 1850's. Even as an adult, there is always a fact (or many) that I did not know before,
November 22, 2016
This was truly a mystery. Some of the historical American Girl "mystery" stories really aren't that mysterious. This one was. It has several suspects, hidden clues, hidden treasure, and took some observation and work to solve.
According to the note about the author, Sarah Masters Buckey is an avid reader. She turned her knowledge of good mysteries into a well crafted mystery for Marie-Grace or her new friend, Wilhelmina. I was a little disappointed Wilhelmina didn't pick up on things sooner, but I know how flustered and frustrated I get when I misplace something - you just can't think as you normally do until you can calm down. It was good Wilhelmina had Marie-Grace to help her.
This was a pleasure to read. I enjoyed looking for the clues myself. Things clicked into place more quickly for me and I wished I could have told Marie-Grace or Wilhelmina.
According to the note about the author, Sarah Masters Buckey is an avid reader. She turned her knowledge of good mysteries into a well crafted mystery for Marie-Grace or her new friend, Wilhelmina. I was a little disappointed Wilhelmina didn't pick up on things sooner, but I know how flustered and frustrated I get when I misplace something - you just can't think as you normally do until you can calm down. It was good Wilhelmina had Marie-Grace to help her.
This was a pleasure to read. I enjoyed looking for the clues myself. Things clicked into place more quickly for me and I wished I could have told Marie-Grace or Wilhelmina.
July 27, 2025
The Hidden Gold: A Marie-Grace Mystery was a good read!
Grace and her father who is a doctor, are taking a steamboat to visit Marie-Grace's father's old friends. On the boat Grace meets a girl, Wilhelmina, who appears a bit rude, but Marie-Grace soon finds out more about Wilhelmina, whose father just recently passed away.
Wilhelmina’s father had found gold and was going to bring it home to her and her brother to buy a farm and live together. However, he unfortunately got sick and passed away. Her father left clues for Wilhelmina, and she is determined to find the hidden gold. Marie-Grace allows Wilhelmina to stay in her stateroom and soon they become friends, attempting to solve the mystery.
However, there is also a thief on board.
Follow Marie-Grace and Wilhelmina on their adventure to find the hidden gold in this exciting children’s book.
Grace and her father who is a doctor, are taking a steamboat to visit Marie-Grace's father's old friends. On the boat Grace meets a girl, Wilhelmina, who appears a bit rude, but Marie-Grace soon finds out more about Wilhelmina, whose father just recently passed away.
Wilhelmina’s father had found gold and was going to bring it home to her and her brother to buy a farm and live together. However, he unfortunately got sick and passed away. Her father left clues for Wilhelmina, and she is determined to find the hidden gold. Marie-Grace allows Wilhelmina to stay in her stateroom and soon they become friends, attempting to solve the mystery.
However, there is also a thief on board.
Follow Marie-Grace and Wilhelmina on their adventure to find the hidden gold in this exciting children’s book.
March 27, 2013
Marie-Grace is excited to take a journey up the Mississippi River with her father. There are interesting things to do and along the way Marie-Grace meets a girl her own age. But Marie-Grace is carrying a secret and that secret is there is hidden gold.
This book tests the courage of a young girl and risks that sometime we all have to take in life. Many girls can relate to finding adventure and searching for something that is beyond their wildest dreams. American Girl especially promotes girl's to dream big and take pride in themselves.
This book is for girls in grades 2nd-5th. This book is good postive message that will resonate with young girls and boost self esteem.
This book tests the courage of a young girl and risks that sometime we all have to take in life. Many girls can relate to finding adventure and searching for something that is beyond their wildest dreams. American Girl especially promotes girl's to dream big and take pride in themselves.
This book is for girls in grades 2nd-5th. This book is good postive message that will resonate with young girls and boost self esteem.
February 18, 2022
Re-read 2022: Not a bad little mystery. I guessed the solution immediately, because I've read other mysteries with similar solutions before. Would the actual target audience? I don't think they would, and I'm also not sure that there were enough clues for them to follow along with Marie-Grace. I did like that there was a nicely executed red herring. I was left with one question, though: why are Marie-Grace and her father going to Cairo, Illinois? If it was ever explained in this book, I missed it, and she wasn't heading to Cairo at the end of the last book in the central series.
October 11, 2018
Buckey writes The Hidden Gold much like a classic Nancy Drew Mystery, and one that is truly lovely. Her characters are unique, yet charming, and by far "The Hidden Gold" is much better than the central series for Marie-Grace. The writing is sharper, the story has a bit more spunk, and Marie-Grace appears more thoughtful and inquisitive, rather then slightly demure and boring.
September 1, 2016
fun and educational books for girls
May 31, 2012
2 1/2 stars
October 31, 2012
2.5 stars
Simple kid's mystery - fine.
Simple kid's mystery - fine.
November 15, 2013
i like the part when Marie grace finds the gold with her friend
February 7, 2023
I think American girl books sparked my interest in history...
April 3, 2017
See the first book in the series for a full review.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews