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The Queen of Ocean Parkway #2
The Treasure of Ocean Parkway
Two podcasting sleuths help their neighbor solve a cold case—one that’s literally etched into the walls of their Brooklyn apartment building—in this cozy, twisty-turny middle grade whodunnit from the author of The Queen of Ocean Parkway.
Twelve-year-old globetrotter Thea Lim-Lambert is spending a rare summer at home in Brooklyn, when she discovers a secret room in the back of her closet. There, among her grandfather Errol’s old diaries and peculiar carvings, is a clue Errol left to a massive hidden treasure. But to find it, she’ll need the help of two experienced sleuths—lucky for her, two of the best live in her building!
Roya and Amin’s mystery podcast has earned them a stellar reputation, but they never could have guessed that their latest case would send them on a wild scavenger hunt in their own building. Clue by clue, they search the building from roof to cellar (thanks to Roya’s mom’s master key). But just when a solution seems near, they realize an essential piece is missing—locked away where none of them can reach it. And unless Thea finds the courage to stand up to her family, the treasure of Ocean Parkway may be lost forever. . .
Twelve-year-old globetrotter Thea Lim-Lambert is spending a rare summer at home in Brooklyn, when she discovers a secret room in the back of her closet. There, among her grandfather Errol’s old diaries and peculiar carvings, is a clue Errol left to a massive hidden treasure. But to find it, she’ll need the help of two experienced sleuths—lucky for her, two of the best live in her building!
Roya and Amin’s mystery podcast has earned them a stellar reputation, but they never could have guessed that their latest case would send them on a wild scavenger hunt in their own building. Clue by clue, they search the building from roof to cellar (thanks to Roya’s mom’s master key). But just when a solution seems near, they realize an essential piece is missing—locked away where none of them can reach it. And unless Thea finds the courage to stand up to her family, the treasure of Ocean Parkway may be lost forever. . .
240 pages, Hardcover
First published November 11, 2025
7 people are currently reading
2764 people want to read
About the author
Sarvenaz Tash
11 books368 followersSarvenaz Tash is the author of of nine novels (and counting) for kids, young adults, and adults including The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love, A Whole Song and Dance, and The Queen of Ocean Parkway. Her books have won awards and recognition from the Junior Library Guild, the American Library Association, Amazon, Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly to name a few. She was born in Tehran, Iran and grew up on Long Island, NY. She received her BFA in Film and Television from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, which means she got to spend most of college running around and making movies (it was a lot of fun). Sarvenaz currently lives in Brooklyn, NY with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
November 20, 2025
This was a really excellent read.
Roya and Amin are back and still reveling in their adventure in book 1 [which, if you have not read, you need to go and do immediately] and their podcast [now not a secret is flourishing. It is at the end of one of said podcasts that they are interrupted by an unexpected visitor who has a very unusual request, and as they say, the game is afoot!
Much like book 1, I feel that going into this book cold with little information is really the best so you get the full effect of the story without any preconceived ideas and "notions". When you go in totally blind [like I have with both books], you truly have a full immersive reading experience and get to see/feel/experience the events as the characters in the book do and by the end, you will be so glad that you read it this way.
Thank you to NetGalley, Sarvenaz Tash, and Random House Children's Books/Knopf Books for Young Readers for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Roya and Amin are back and still reveling in their adventure in book 1 [which, if you have not read, you need to go and do immediately] and their podcast [now not a secret is flourishing. It is at the end of one of said podcasts that they are interrupted by an unexpected visitor who has a very unusual request, and as they say, the game is afoot!
Much like book 1, I feel that going into this book cold with little information is really the best so you get the full effect of the story without any preconceived ideas and "notions". When you go in totally blind [like I have with both books], you truly have a full immersive reading experience and get to see/feel/experience the events as the characters in the book do and by the end, you will be so glad that you read it this way.
Thank you to NetGalley, Sarvenaz Tash, and Random House Children's Books/Knopf Books for Young Readers for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 6, 2025
Random House Kids has seriously been knocking it out of the park with their middle grade books lately and this one was no exception! I absolutely adored this story. Sigh. This book has everything I love including heart, mystery, puzzles, friendship, and even a secret room or two.
When Thea discovers a hidden room behind her closet (yes, please!) she stumbles upon her grandfather’s old diaries. From there she uses the diaries to uncover clues he’s left behind. She can’t do it on her own though and thankfully the story turns into this fun clue filled adventure for Thea and her friends who just happen to be a team of whip smart sleuths that live in her apartment building. They work together to unravel riddles and on accident uncover family secrets. They are pretty darn good at connecting the dots between past and present. Nice work team!
I loved how Thea’s curiosity and determination drove the story especially as she tried to better understand her grandfather. She didn’t have a relationship with him before and now sadly he’s living with dementia. The way she pieces together his past while helping to mend some long held family wounds just made me love this book. It was sweet :)
This book is creative, imaginative, and full of heart. I really felt the clues were fun, the friendships were genuine and sweet and by the end I was certainly smiling big. This book is perfect for anyone looking for a wholesome feel good listen. If you love stories with puzzles and family connections you’re going to adore this one as much as I did. LOVED IT! 🗝️✨
When Thea discovers a hidden room behind her closet (yes, please!) she stumbles upon her grandfather’s old diaries. From there she uses the diaries to uncover clues he’s left behind. She can’t do it on her own though and thankfully the story turns into this fun clue filled adventure for Thea and her friends who just happen to be a team of whip smart sleuths that live in her apartment building. They work together to unravel riddles and on accident uncover family secrets. They are pretty darn good at connecting the dots between past and present. Nice work team!
I loved how Thea’s curiosity and determination drove the story especially as she tried to better understand her grandfather. She didn’t have a relationship with him before and now sadly he’s living with dementia. The way she pieces together his past while helping to mend some long held family wounds just made me love this book. It was sweet :)
This book is creative, imaginative, and full of heart. I really felt the clues were fun, the friendships were genuine and sweet and by the end I was certainly smiling big. This book is perfect for anyone looking for a wholesome feel good listen. If you love stories with puzzles and family connections you’re going to adore this one as much as I did. LOVED IT! 🗝️✨
November 19, 2025
I actually read this as a standalone, which can totally work for any reader, and unsurprisingly I'm looking forward even more to reading The Queen of Ocean Parkway too. This has a lovely blending and balancing of mystery and slice of life, and you really get the best of both worlds with the enjoyment of the mystery-solving thread interwoven with all the characters living life, having individual personalities and situations and interests and feelings which are explored and included in the story at every moment.
The Brooklyn-specific setting and history are such a delight, and any readers totally unfamiliar with the details can find parallels to wherever they live or grew up simply through the context of how these characters feel about and interact with them. Their feelings about and interactions with each other are so varied and alive for both charm and drama and make the character element so engaging, which only adds to the story framing the puzzles and mystery for a personal, emotional context that connects past and present (even without literal time-travel) and reverberates across multiple arcs in the book, including how the reader might relate to these themes and events.
Really engaging, interesting, enjoyable read—especially as someone who was always glad to read a mystery and even more glad to read stories where the protagonists are all navigating their world as idiosyncratic misfits. And as an amazing bonus: the illustrations by Ericka Lugo are spectacular!
The Brooklyn-specific setting and history are such a delight, and any readers totally unfamiliar with the details can find parallels to wherever they live or grew up simply through the context of how these characters feel about and interact with them. Their feelings about and interactions with each other are so varied and alive for both charm and drama and make the character element so engaging, which only adds to the story framing the puzzles and mystery for a personal, emotional context that connects past and present (even without literal time-travel) and reverberates across multiple arcs in the book, including how the reader might relate to these themes and events.
Really engaging, interesting, enjoyable read—especially as someone who was always glad to read a mystery and even more glad to read stories where the protagonists are all navigating their world as idiosyncratic misfits. And as an amazing bonus: the illustrations by Ericka Lugo are spectacular!
November 29, 2025
This is a really great book!
From solving mysteries to heartwarming moments, this was such a lovely read for me!!!
Definitely recommend!
From solving mysteries to heartwarming moments, this was such a lovely read for me!!!
Definitely recommend!
August 4, 2025
E ARC provided by Netgalley
After their time traveling adventures in The Queen of Ocean Parkway, Roya and Amin are back. It's summer, and Roya is dealing with father's death over the winter. She's finally able to be interested in pod casting again, and she and Amin are investigating a number of mysteries in the Brooklyn neighborhood, which is easier now that they have convinced both her mother and Amin's parents that they are safe to ride the subway and wander around the city by themselves. Even though Amin needs to practice riding the subway so he can do a good job in the Subway Safari competition, they don't have to look too far for a mystery. Thea Lim-Lambert, whose parents are artists and use the apartment as their home base when not living in Europe, has found several interesting things in the apartment that her family has occupied since 1947. Not only has she found a secret room, but her grandfather's diary and a note from 2010 inviting the "future Lambert" to a scavenger hunt. Since Thea hasn't had any luck, and her older sister Sunday is busy at college while their parents are frantically working to put together a show, she approaches the podcasters for help. The clues lead the group to the laundry room in the basement (remember, Roya's mother is the building super, so she has access to keys), where they find a secret door behind a painting of cheese. As the search progresses, they struggle with some of the clues, so Thea asks her father, Mason, to visit Errol with her. While Errol did carvings, he didn't gain the reknown that his father, Declan did: he was an illustrator somewhat along the lines of Norman Rockwell. Errol has dementia, so often doesn't know who people are, but they do get some information. As the clues lead the kids around town, they sometimes need help from people like neighbor Katya's grandmother Annika, who grew up in the building with Errol. There is a lot of family dynamics that get explored, mysteries that get solved, and the promise of a new adventure with an Explorer's Club.
Strengths: Roya is a great character, and I was glad that we picked up her story when she was getting back into podcasting, and that the book shows just how much work a podcast is! She and Amin get along very well, and there's even a little understandable bickering when Thea joins the mix. The family mystery is well explained, and involves not only some family lore but some local history as well. Thea's troubled family life is well portrayed, and the unspoken problems get resolved in a realistic way. The apartment building is a great setting, and it's nice to see some illustrations in the book. Books where kids are doing things are always my favorite; I would have adored this when I was young. Even though it doesn't involve any of the fantasy elements that the first book had, it's a good sequel.
Weaknesses: I was a little disappointed that there wasn't any time travel in this book, and only the tiniest hint of fantasy at all; it was more like Graf Patterson's The Minerva Keen Detetive Club. There were some things about New York City and apartment living that could have used a tiny bit of explanation for Midwestern suburbanites; I had to look up what Dumbo was, and I'm still a bit confused about how a family can live in the same apartment for 80 years (and tear down walls!) when they don't appear to own it.
What I really think: This was another fun scavenger hunt book along the lines of Florence's A Study in Secrets or Landis' Capitol Chase, Gibbs' Charlie Thorn, Durst's Spy Ring, or Currie's Mystery of the Locked Rooms. I'm curious to see what direction the next book will take.
After their time traveling adventures in The Queen of Ocean Parkway, Roya and Amin are back. It's summer, and Roya is dealing with father's death over the winter. She's finally able to be interested in pod casting again, and she and Amin are investigating a number of mysteries in the Brooklyn neighborhood, which is easier now that they have convinced both her mother and Amin's parents that they are safe to ride the subway and wander around the city by themselves. Even though Amin needs to practice riding the subway so he can do a good job in the Subway Safari competition, they don't have to look too far for a mystery. Thea Lim-Lambert, whose parents are artists and use the apartment as their home base when not living in Europe, has found several interesting things in the apartment that her family has occupied since 1947. Not only has she found a secret room, but her grandfather's diary and a note from 2010 inviting the "future Lambert" to a scavenger hunt. Since Thea hasn't had any luck, and her older sister Sunday is busy at college while their parents are frantically working to put together a show, she approaches the podcasters for help. The clues lead the group to the laundry room in the basement (remember, Roya's mother is the building super, so she has access to keys), where they find a secret door behind a painting of cheese. As the search progresses, they struggle with some of the clues, so Thea asks her father, Mason, to visit Errol with her. While Errol did carvings, he didn't gain the reknown that his father, Declan did: he was an illustrator somewhat along the lines of Norman Rockwell. Errol has dementia, so often doesn't know who people are, but they do get some information. As the clues lead the kids around town, they sometimes need help from people like neighbor Katya's grandmother Annika, who grew up in the building with Errol. There is a lot of family dynamics that get explored, mysteries that get solved, and the promise of a new adventure with an Explorer's Club.
Strengths: Roya is a great character, and I was glad that we picked up her story when she was getting back into podcasting, and that the book shows just how much work a podcast is! She and Amin get along very well, and there's even a little understandable bickering when Thea joins the mix. The family mystery is well explained, and involves not only some family lore but some local history as well. Thea's troubled family life is well portrayed, and the unspoken problems get resolved in a realistic way. The apartment building is a great setting, and it's nice to see some illustrations in the book. Books where kids are doing things are always my favorite; I would have adored this when I was young. Even though it doesn't involve any of the fantasy elements that the first book had, it's a good sequel.
Weaknesses: I was a little disappointed that there wasn't any time travel in this book, and only the tiniest hint of fantasy at all; it was more like Graf Patterson's The Minerva Keen Detetive Club. There were some things about New York City and apartment living that could have used a tiny bit of explanation for Midwestern suburbanites; I had to look up what Dumbo was, and I'm still a bit confused about how a family can live in the same apartment for 80 years (and tear down walls!) when they don't appear to own it.
What I really think: This was another fun scavenger hunt book along the lines of Florence's A Study in Secrets or Landis' Capitol Chase, Gibbs' Charlie Thorn, Durst's Spy Ring, or Currie's Mystery of the Locked Rooms. I'm curious to see what direction the next book will take.
November 23, 2025
I adored the first book, and I’m so happy to report that the second one is just as good as the first!
Since Roya went through so much growth in the first book, it only makes sense that we have a new character to follow, as we see her sort out her complicated familial relationships and find friends and confidence. Thea is a welcome addition to the gang, and I thought Tash did a good job of making her dynamics within the trio distinct to Roya and Amin’s friendship. (Talk of Amin… his subplot about the Subway Safari isn’t essential, but it sure is fun to read about! And I love him as the peacekeeper of the trio.)
The treasure hunt is fun to read about – again, if I were ten reading this, I would immediately start looking at every nook and cranny of the big Brooklyn building I grew up in. I also thought Tash did a great job bringing in the Petrov family from the first book while letting this story stand on its own.
But my favorite thing about this book, like its predecessor, remains the poignant portrayal of losing one’s parent at that tween age. The way Roya misses her father, her hunger for stories about him – which hasn’t gone away, even in my thirties – it’s such a pitch-perfect portrayal of such a painful experience. Come for the adventure, stay for the tugs on your heartstrings!
This book delves into issues that are less close to home for me – Thea’s grandfather has Alzheimer’s, and she struggles with insecurity in a family of overachieving artists – but I’m confident that Tash nailed this as well as she did the stuff that I have experienced. The moments with Thea’s grandfather were as touching as they were frustrating, perfectly putting the reader in the character’s shoes.
I would happily follow Roya and her friends on adventures with every tenant of QOOP, so fingers crossed for more installments!
Since Roya went through so much growth in the first book, it only makes sense that we have a new character to follow, as we see her sort out her complicated familial relationships and find friends and confidence. Thea is a welcome addition to the gang, and I thought Tash did a good job of making her dynamics within the trio distinct to Roya and Amin’s friendship. (Talk of Amin… his subplot about the Subway Safari isn’t essential, but it sure is fun to read about! And I love him as the peacekeeper of the trio.)
The treasure hunt is fun to read about – again, if I were ten reading this, I would immediately start looking at every nook and cranny of the big Brooklyn building I grew up in. I also thought Tash did a great job bringing in the Petrov family from the first book while letting this story stand on its own.
But my favorite thing about this book, like its predecessor, remains the poignant portrayal of losing one’s parent at that tween age. The way Roya misses her father, her hunger for stories about him – which hasn’t gone away, even in my thirties – it’s such a pitch-perfect portrayal of such a painful experience. Come for the adventure, stay for the tugs on your heartstrings!
This book delves into issues that are less close to home for me – Thea’s grandfather has Alzheimer’s, and she struggles with insecurity in a family of overachieving artists – but I’m confident that Tash nailed this as well as she did the stuff that I have experienced. The moments with Thea’s grandfather were as touching as they were frustrating, perfectly putting the reader in the character’s shoes.
I would happily follow Roya and her friends on adventures with every tenant of QOOP, so fingers crossed for more installments!
November 2, 2025
Thank you Knopf Books for Young Readers @knopfyoungreaders Random House Children’s Books @randomhousekids and Sarvenaz Tash @sarvenaztash for this free book!
“The Treasure of Ocean Parkway” (Ocean Parkway #2) by Sarvenez Tash⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Genre: Middle Grade Fiction. Location: Brooklyn New York, New York, USA.
THE SERIES: Amateur sleuths Roya Alborziv (11) and best friend Amin Lahore live in a Brooklyn apartment building full of diverse tenants. They run an increasingly popular mystery podcast called QOOP (Queen of Ocean Parkway).
THIS BOOK: Globetrotting Thea Lim-Lambert (12) is spending the summer at home in Brooklyn when she discovers a secret room in her Brooklyn apartment building. In it, she finds her grandfather Errol’s diaries and carvings containing clues to a hidden treasure. She teams up with Roya and Amin to solve the mystery, leading them on a scavenger hunt within their apartment building. (Luckily Roya has her mom’s master key!) They realize an essential piece is locked away where they can’t reach it. Thea must stand up to her family or the treasure of Ocean Parkway may be lost forever.
Author Tash’s book is a mashup of Nancy Drew novels and the Only Murders in the Building tv series. The mystery is somewhat immersive because readers can try to solve clues along with the 3 sleuths. In addition to the mystery, her characters learn about self-discovery, and learn how to let others help. Tash’s overall themes are family, friendship, and community. Her main characters are kind, appealing, funny, and intelligent, and her side characters are colorful and interesting. It’s charming, and warm-hearted, and it’s 4⭐️s from me 📚👩🏼🦳
#sarvenaztash #thetreasureofoceanparkway
“The Treasure of Ocean Parkway” (Ocean Parkway #2) by Sarvenez Tash⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Genre: Middle Grade Fiction. Location: Brooklyn New York, New York, USA.
THE SERIES: Amateur sleuths Roya Alborziv (11) and best friend Amin Lahore live in a Brooklyn apartment building full of diverse tenants. They run an increasingly popular mystery podcast called QOOP (Queen of Ocean Parkway).
THIS BOOK: Globetrotting Thea Lim-Lambert (12) is spending the summer at home in Brooklyn when she discovers a secret room in her Brooklyn apartment building. In it, she finds her grandfather Errol’s diaries and carvings containing clues to a hidden treasure. She teams up with Roya and Amin to solve the mystery, leading them on a scavenger hunt within their apartment building. (Luckily Roya has her mom’s master key!) They realize an essential piece is locked away where they can’t reach it. Thea must stand up to her family or the treasure of Ocean Parkway may be lost forever.
Author Tash’s book is a mashup of Nancy Drew novels and the Only Murders in the Building tv series. The mystery is somewhat immersive because readers can try to solve clues along with the 3 sleuths. In addition to the mystery, her characters learn about self-discovery, and learn how to let others help. Tash’s overall themes are family, friendship, and community. Her main characters are kind, appealing, funny, and intelligent, and her side characters are colorful and interesting. It’s charming, and warm-hearted, and it’s 4⭐️s from me 📚👩🏼🦳
#sarvenaztash #thetreasureofoceanparkway
August 11, 2025
4-stars to The Treasure of Ocean Parkway, the continued adventures of friends Roya and Amin, podcasting sleuths of The Queen of Ocean Parkway.
Thea Lim-Lambert is home for the summer when she discovers a secret room and the first clue to a treasure hunt created by her grandfather. She's determined to solve the case but knows she can't do it alone. And who better to help her solve the mystery and find the treasure than the building's resident sleuths?
The Good Stuff
- a fun, fast-paced story that's easy to jump into. I started this book while in the absolute WORST reading slump and am now cured.
- Thea learning to find a relationship with her grandfather despite his memory loss. Loved how his journal and artwork were used to illuminate his past self, and how that helped create a bond between them, even as limited as it was.
- and while on the topic of characters, they were all so good! Enjoyed how all of the characters' emotions, habits, and mannerisms brought them to life.
Missed the first book, so will be reading it soon (didn't even realize this was the second book in a series for several chapters, everything just flowed so well). Definitely some character and setting background to pick up, and it sounds so interesting! "It" being The Queen of Ocean Parkway, of course.
Overall, a fun and entertaining read to be enjoyed by all ages :)
Thank you to Netgalley, publishers, and the author for an arc of this book!!
Thea Lim-Lambert is home for the summer when she discovers a secret room and the first clue to a treasure hunt created by her grandfather. She's determined to solve the case but knows she can't do it alone. And who better to help her solve the mystery and find the treasure than the building's resident sleuths?
The Good Stuff
- a fun, fast-paced story that's easy to jump into. I started this book while in the absolute WORST reading slump and am now cured.
- Thea learning to find a relationship with her grandfather despite his memory loss. Loved how his journal and artwork were used to illuminate his past self, and how that helped create a bond between them, even as limited as it was.
- and while on the topic of characters, they were all so good! Enjoyed how all of the characters' emotions, habits, and mannerisms brought them to life.
Missed the first book, so will be reading it soon (didn't even realize this was the second book in a series for several chapters, everything just flowed so well). Definitely some character and setting background to pick up, and it sounds so interesting! "It" being The Queen of Ocean Parkway, of course.
Overall, a fun and entertaining read to be enjoyed by all ages :)
Thank you to Netgalley, publishers, and the author for an arc of this book!!
November 18, 2025
I was initially drawn to these books because I used to live on Ocean Parkway, and the building I lived in looked almost exactly like the one illustrated on the cover of the first book in this series.
I have no idea if the book is actually based on my old building (I assure you we had absolutely nothing of interest in our basement, just trash cans), but it made for a fun visual to go with a charming mystery for young readers.
Atmospherically the book does a good job of rendering this area of Brooklyn, and I enjoyed the mystery itself. The characters are definitely archetypal, but they’re likable and demonstrate some worthy (if predictable) evolution.
But mostly it’s a good small-scale adventure, and the mysteries feel like a good fit for the age of the characters and the intended audience. I’m not sure the bits of magical realism that creep into the story make any sense, but these are minor to the plot in the second book and didn’t really impact my opinion of the story much overall.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
I have no idea if the book is actually based on my old building (I assure you we had absolutely nothing of interest in our basement, just trash cans), but it made for a fun visual to go with a charming mystery for young readers.
Atmospherically the book does a good job of rendering this area of Brooklyn, and I enjoyed the mystery itself. The characters are definitely archetypal, but they’re likable and demonstrate some worthy (if predictable) evolution.
But mostly it’s a good small-scale adventure, and the mysteries feel like a good fit for the age of the characters and the intended audience. I’m not sure the bits of magical realism that creep into the story make any sense, but these are minor to the plot in the second book and didn’t really impact my opinion of the story much overall.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
August 16, 2025
I loved this middle grade mystery with an "Only Murders in the Building" vibe. This is a friendship story as much as a mystery, with family secrets coming to light as the three main characters follow clues hidden by Thea's grandfather. The New York city setting means that by default diversity is part of the story. I also really liked the realistic portrayal of relating to a relative with Alzheimer's. I like this enough, I plan to go back and read the first in the series.
Review based on a DRC received through NetGalley.
Review based on a DRC received through NetGalley.
October 25, 2025
Roya and Amin are finishing up an episode of their mystery solving podcast when they receive an unexpected visit from Thea. Thea is a sometimes resident of their apartment building, and the podcasters are surprised she knows who they are. Not only does she know who they are, but she's listened to their podcast, and now, she needs their help solving a mystery. Thea explains that she's found a secret room in their apartment along with a secret drawer in a table her grandfather carved that left a riddle for a future Lambert to find and solve.
The three set off together to unravel the clues and the story behind the fractured relationships in the lambert family. Their quest takes them to old friends in the building, another "twin" building in the city, and the retirement home where Thea's grandfather with Alzheimer's is staying. As the trio navigates the mystery, they also have to navigate the new friendship and Thea's reluctance to let anyone get close to her.
Although I personally enjoyed reading this, it is another story that isn't the right fit for my classroom.
This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The three set off together to unravel the clues and the story behind the fractured relationships in the lambert family. Their quest takes them to old friends in the building, another "twin" building in the city, and the retirement home where Thea's grandfather with Alzheimer's is staying. As the trio navigates the mystery, they also have to navigate the new friendship and Thea's reluctance to let anyone get close to her.
Although I personally enjoyed reading this, it is another story that isn't the right fit for my classroom.
This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
November 17, 2025
So we’re getting a third one right?? While I love the illustrations in this series, I couldn’t get my hands on a physical copy and I’m happy to report that the audio is fantastic too. Such a fun series that does a great job touching on difficult family dynamics and illnesses without weighing down the reader. Great depth and pacing. 4.5⭐️
November 24, 2025
This was a heartfelt middle grade novel of several kids going on a treasure hunt in their apartment building and finding friends along the way.
It covers loneliness, lack of connection, grief, Alzheimer’s, not feeling good enough and connecting with your family (history) in an accessible way.
And the narration by Nikki Massoud was lovely.
It covers loneliness, lack of connection, grief, Alzheimer’s, not feeling good enough and connecting with your family (history) in an accessible way.
And the narration by Nikki Massoud was lovely.
November 24, 2025
It is rare that I love a sequel more than I love the first book but I do! And that's saying a lot because the first book was excellent in its own right. I really hope this will end up being a long book series where we can visit the characters again and again!
December 23, 2025
A fun, cozy middle-grade mystery where twelve-year-old Thea teams up with two podcasting sleuths to uncover a hidden treasure in her Brooklyn apartment building. Packed with clever clues, secret rooms, and suspenseful twists, it’s a thrilling scavenger hunt for young readers.
November 26, 2025
A fun scavenger hunt follow-up to the first book in the series.
Content notes: parent death, family estrangement, Alzheimer's
Content notes: parent death, family estrangement, Alzheimer's
December 2, 2025
Easily can be read stand alone without the first book. Great display of NYC's diverse cultures and community. Relatable troubles for middle grade readers.
October 29, 2025
This is book 2 in the series, but they can easily be read as stand alone books. This is another fun MG mystery with a new friend introduced and a cute scavenger hunt they work to solve. There is no magical realism this time around making it more of a straightforward mystery. I was able to predict the plot but had fun watching it come together. Recommended for readers young and old!
October 18, 2025
This was a really great read and Thea with the help of Roya and Amid who have a crime podcast are trying to figure out the clues to find the treasure Thea’s grandfather hid somewhere in there building. This is the second in this series but I wasn’t too lost reading it as a standalone. This was a great twisty mystery and a great family drama with Thea finally standing up for herself with her family about not being just like them and reconciling her father with her grandfather that has dementia. This was a fast fun read and the mystery kept me guessing until the end.
Thanks to Random House Children's Books and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.
Thanks to Random House Children's Books and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.
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