The Case of the Missing Hello House

by Denene Millner

BeBe Barber is a star--equal parts funny, outspoken, and drama queen--with a personality that, while (mostly) loved, can get her into a few jams. But when she turns on the charm for a prestigious movie director, she gets exactly what she's always dreamed: a coveted part in a motion picture being filmed in her town--a role she's sure will bring her the fame and celebrity she's awaited for her entire 12 years on the planet. But when someone steals the Hello House, a coveted town fixture and the key prop in her big movie scene, both BeBe's star turn and her big dreams are flung into peril. Bebe's got to save the day--for her town's sake. And her own.

The Case of the Missing Hello House (A BeBe Barber Mystery) initiates the first African American girl into the ranks of Nancy Drew-inspired kid sleuths, giving a nod to the iconic detective while introducing young readers to a high-energy, humorous, big-hearted character who brings a fresh take on culture and history into her fast-paced, clue-driven mysteries.

Genres: Middle Grade

144 pages, Paperback

About the author

Denene Millner is a six-time New York Times best-selling author, Emmy Award-nominated TV show host and award-winning journalist and book publisher who has written more than 30 books, among them: Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, co-written with Steve Harvey; Around the Way Girl, a memoir with actress Taraji P. Henson; the Fresh Princess picture books, with Will Smith; and, The Vow, the novel on which the hit Lifetime movie, “With This Ring,” was based. The writer and editor is also the editorial director and publisher of Denene Millner Books, an award-winning imprint that publishes stories featuring Black children and families, by Black authors and illustrators. The DMB list includes two Caldecott Honor books, a Kirkus Prize for Children’s Literature, two Society for Illustrator honors, a Southern Book Award, an instant New York Times bestseller and three NAACP nominations. Denene also co-hosts the nationally syndicated PBS show, A Seat at the Table, and is the host of “Speakeasy with Denene,” a podcast exploring Black culture. Denene’s upcoming novel, One Blood, a multi-generational epic about motherhood, adoption and race, is slated to be published in eight countries when it debuts in 2023. A MacDowell fellow, Denene lives in Atlanta with her two daughters and their goldendoodle, Franklin.