What do you think?
Conspirators' Club: A Mystery Book for Kids Ages 9-12
Boarding school survival checklist:
a new crush? ✓
membership in a secret prank club? ✓
kidnapping? wait…
For Peter Holm, life at Shadow Skerry Academy is as fun as a freezing shower in winter. Then Sam, the new girl, invites him to start a secret prank club.
Her goal: to improve life for all Academy students. Her plan: to combat the Academy’s unfair rules with covert acts of rebellion.
The last thing Peter wants is trouble with the headmaster, but who could pass up on Sam's cool missions, like stealing back confiscated desserts, or dismantling the annoying school siren?
When a heist goes awry, Peter realizes the headmaster is more dangerous than they thought, and the cave tunnels underneath the school hold a dangerous secret, one the headmaster will stop at nothing to protect.
Will Peter’s wits help him stop the headmaster and save his friends, or will this mission be their last?
Fans of The Great Greene Heist and A Wells & Wong Mystery series will enjoy this fast-paced middle grade mystery.
a new crush? ✓
membership in a secret prank club? ✓
kidnapping? wait…
For Peter Holm, life at Shadow Skerry Academy is as fun as a freezing shower in winter. Then Sam, the new girl, invites him to start a secret prank club.
Her goal: to improve life for all Academy students. Her plan: to combat the Academy’s unfair rules with covert acts of rebellion.
The last thing Peter wants is trouble with the headmaster, but who could pass up on Sam's cool missions, like stealing back confiscated desserts, or dismantling the annoying school siren?
When a heist goes awry, Peter realizes the headmaster is more dangerous than they thought, and the cave tunnels underneath the school hold a dangerous secret, one the headmaster will stop at nothing to protect.
Will Peter’s wits help him stop the headmaster and save his friends, or will this mission be their last?
Fans of The Great Greene Heist and A Wells & Wong Mystery series will enjoy this fast-paced middle grade mystery.
341 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 7, 2022
About the author
Elena Jagar
24 books3 followersElena is the award-winning author of THE RAINBOW WEAVER'S APPRENTICE for middle-grade readers.
Elena's writing spans several genres, and she believes that a good story is made up first and foremost of great characters, ones that are relatable and interesting enough to stay with the reader long after the book is closed. She hopes her young readers come away from her books feeling that nothing is impossible.
When not writing, Elena enjoys horseback riding, tai chi, smelling the flowers, and petting bumblebees. Currently living overseas teaching English, Elena looks forward to having a garden and a menagerie of pets when she finally settles down in one place.
Elena's writing spans several genres, and she believes that a good story is made up first and foremost of great characters, ones that are relatable and interesting enough to stay with the reader long after the book is closed. She hopes her young readers come away from her books feeling that nothing is impossible.
When not writing, Elena enjoys horseback riding, tai chi, smelling the flowers, and petting bumblebees. Currently living overseas teaching English, Elena looks forward to having a garden and a menagerie of pets when she finally settles down in one place.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 2, 2022
The story’s backdrop, location, is Shadow Skerry Academy on a fairly remote island. Pete and Mark (a senior and older) are brothers at the school. Pete is the protagonist and story teller.
Sam, the new girl at school, starts a Conspirators’ club. She wants to start a rebellion at the school and get all the students, eventually, involved so the Board will pay attention and improve conditions. Conditions are very bad at the Academy (cold showers, bad food, very strict). Sam explains, “With acts of rebellion. Like vigilante stuff … We must show the people running this place that we’re not a bunch of stupid kids they can push around.“ Pete thinks, “Vigilante stuff! That was when my inner geek kicked in.” Pete is probably less about “the rebellion” and simply hopes the club will make things better for the school. This seems less selfish to me. I like Pete.
We learn much about Pete, “So there it was a club to break all the school rules, and we were off to a great start … maybe it would even get dad’s attention?” This sounds just like a teen … wanting to be accepted by his dad, at any nearly any cost.
Pete, Eric, Jason (who rooms with Pete) and Sam are the members of the club.
Another goal of the club is to get the cruel headmaster fired. More well-developed main characters in this story include the headmaster and the groundskeeper. We see another side to the headmaster. He has his own set of secrets, agenda, that the Club tries to figure out. And the groundskeeper is a peculiar character - one to watch out for! “So what was he doing in there [the forest]? Checking to see if the trees were ok?”
The school and the island are interesting in themselves. Like another character, they are old and historic, with dark basements, a maze of tunnels or caves, a thick, deep forest, “[…] Sir Shadow (Shadow Skerry Academy) bought the island, he completely cut himself off from the world.”
The Club has many great adventures of mischief and intrigue. They mostly go out at night to accomplish their pranks. I think they do the pranks because they’re teens and this is what teens do! The “fix the school” business would be a great side-effect. These are harmless pranks and mostly fun, nothing evil or sinister.
I really enjoyed the book and the adventures were all different and did not feel repetitive. I highly recommend the book to teens and the older set!
Sam, the new girl at school, starts a Conspirators’ club. She wants to start a rebellion at the school and get all the students, eventually, involved so the Board will pay attention and improve conditions. Conditions are very bad at the Academy (cold showers, bad food, very strict). Sam explains, “With acts of rebellion. Like vigilante stuff … We must show the people running this place that we’re not a bunch of stupid kids they can push around.“ Pete thinks, “Vigilante stuff! That was when my inner geek kicked in.” Pete is probably less about “the rebellion” and simply hopes the club will make things better for the school. This seems less selfish to me. I like Pete.
We learn much about Pete, “So there it was a club to break all the school rules, and we were off to a great start … maybe it would even get dad’s attention?” This sounds just like a teen … wanting to be accepted by his dad, at any nearly any cost.
Pete, Eric, Jason (who rooms with Pete) and Sam are the members of the club.
Another goal of the club is to get the cruel headmaster fired. More well-developed main characters in this story include the headmaster and the groundskeeper. We see another side to the headmaster. He has his own set of secrets, agenda, that the Club tries to figure out. And the groundskeeper is a peculiar character - one to watch out for! “So what was he doing in there [the forest]? Checking to see if the trees were ok?”
The school and the island are interesting in themselves. Like another character, they are old and historic, with dark basements, a maze of tunnels or caves, a thick, deep forest, “[…] Sir Shadow (Shadow Skerry Academy) bought the island, he completely cut himself off from the world.”
The Club has many great adventures of mischief and intrigue. They mostly go out at night to accomplish their pranks. I think they do the pranks because they’re teens and this is what teens do! The “fix the school” business would be a great side-effect. These are harmless pranks and mostly fun, nothing evil or sinister.
I really enjoyed the book and the adventures were all different and did not feel repetitive. I highly recommend the book to teens and the older set!
June 7, 2026
I am so glad that Conspirators' Club: A Mystery Book for Kids Ages 9–12 (The Conspirators #1) is the start of a series because I am already looking forward to Book 2!
What I enjoyed most was the relationship between the four main characters. Each of them has a unique personality, and I loved watching them learn to trust one another as they worked together to uncover the school's secrets. Their backstories were interesting, and I have a feeling there is still much more to learn about them in future books—especially Cain, whose story left me wanting more.
The setting is unforgettable: a dreadful boarding school with no hot water, terrible food, constant detentions, and an intimidating headmaster who seems to be hiding far too many secrets. The gloomy atmosphere adds to the mystery and keeps the pages turning.
The plot is filled with intrigue, secrets, and plenty of questions that will keep middle-grade readers engaged. Fans of mysteries and adventure stories will have a great time trying to figure out what is really going on at this strange school.
This was a fun and engaging start to a promising new series. I can't wait to see what happens next and will definitely be picking up Book 2!
December 9, 2024
Totally engaging!
What a great group of kids and what a struggle they faced at Shadow Skerry. I was rooting for them every step of the way while they kept me guessing! I loved that they bonded over their desire to stop the abusive school director, "Barnacle", in spite of their diverse backgrounds. I'm ready for more!
What a great group of kids and what a struggle they faced at Shadow Skerry. I was rooting for them every step of the way while they kept me guessing! I loved that they bonded over their desire to stop the abusive school director, "Barnacle", in spite of their diverse backgrounds. I'm ready for more!
February 6, 2022
Really good read. I enjoyed the backdrop, the children and adult characters both. Lots of crazy, fun, antics and adventures for the Club. Also some mysteries around the school, property, and administration unfolded nicely. Highly recommend for middle-grade and beyond.
July 14, 2022
A terrific mystery for kids (and adults like me)
I thought CONSPIRATORS CLUB would be a juvenile type mystery-adventure, but it was a true mystery with evil villains who have a history of violence, jewel theft, and blackmail. And a schoolmaster at a boarding school who would make Cruella DeVille look like a kitten. The school on Shadow Skeery (meaning a rocky island) seemed more like a prison. Meals were skimpy, rooms and showers icy. And detention was like being on a chain gang. The kids are threatened and mis-treated.
And so a secret group of four 6th graders became the Conspirators Club, not to cause anyone injury, but to mess things up for the evil headmaster.
Of course they got in a lot deeper than they'd planned and as they tried to investigate a dastardly crime, they nearly lost it all. There are caves and secret passageways to aid (or trap) them too. This is a book that will keep 10-14 year olds glued to the pages. The mystery is a challenge, and the suspense never stops. A right good and satisfying ending too!
I thought CONSPIRATORS CLUB would be a juvenile type mystery-adventure, but it was a true mystery with evil villains who have a history of violence, jewel theft, and blackmail. And a schoolmaster at a boarding school who would make Cruella DeVille look like a kitten. The school on Shadow Skeery (meaning a rocky island) seemed more like a prison. Meals were skimpy, rooms and showers icy. And detention was like being on a chain gang. The kids are threatened and mis-treated.
And so a secret group of four 6th graders became the Conspirators Club, not to cause anyone injury, but to mess things up for the evil headmaster.
Of course they got in a lot deeper than they'd planned and as they tried to investigate a dastardly crime, they nearly lost it all. There are caves and secret passageways to aid (or trap) them too. This is a book that will keep 10-14 year olds glued to the pages. The mystery is a challenge, and the suspense never stops. A right good and satisfying ending too!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews