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American Girl Mysteries
Missing Grace: A Kit Mystery
Kit writes a newspaper story about how her dog, Grace, saved the Kittredges and their boarders from a house fire. Grace becomes a local celebrity, and all the attention is a lot of fun for Kit--until the night Grace mysteriously vanishes. But who would take Kit's dog, and why? At the end of the story, the Looking Back section provides interesting facts about pets during the Great Depression.
181 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
12 people are currently reading
374 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth McDavid Jones
25 books27 followersElizabeth McDavid Jones was born in 1958 in South Carolina. When she was a child, she moved in Raleigh, North Carolina. She graduated from East Carolina University and started a career in social work. When Jones earned a master's degree in literature in 1996, she changed her career to a university literature. During this period, she began writing children's books. She is a mother of four children.
She is the author of nine books and many magazine and serial stories for young people. Her books have sold over 750,000 copies. She is particularly known for her work writing with American Girl.
She is the author of nine books and many magazine and serial stories for young people. Her books have sold over 750,000 copies. She is particularly known for her work writing with American Girl.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
November 24, 2024
The great AG marathon continues. Again, reading for the first time as an adult.
As not-really-a-dog-person, I found this stolen-dog tale more engaging than expected. It's clear early on that Grace has, in fact, been stolen; we move on pretty quickly from the idea that the mean boys were responsible; and untangling the connection to a string of other dog-nappings is all pretty clever.
With a different author at the helm, Kit is extremely methodical in this one. The way Jones lays out exactly what she noted and under which heading might have appealed to young me, though adult me finds it vaguely annoying.
For once, though, Kit has no thought of turning the mystery into a newspaper story. In fact, when someone else suggests the idea at the end, she's quick to shoot it down. But we know she's still writing: A newspaper story she's recently published is key to the plot.
A few quibbles:
- It takes Kit a long time to realize that the thief learned about Grace from her own newspaper story, which was blindingly obvious to me
- This book is not here for character development. Kit is who she is. Stirling gets sidelined about halfway through because... the author gets tired of dragging three kids around Cincinnati? Ruthie is here so that we can give her an aunt with (a) a car and (b) a police sergeant fiance, but she's otherwise pretty flat.
- I wanted some closure on the cranky boarder who insisted that Grace sleep outside in the first place. She completely drops out of the story - I wanted to see her find another place to live!
More Kit babble
Meet Kit | Kit Learns a Lesson | Kit’s Surprise | Happy Birthday, Kit | Kit Saves the Day | Changes for Kit
Really, Truly Ruthie
Kit’s Home Run | Kit’s Tree House | Kit’s Short Story Collection
Danger at the Zoo | Midnight in Lonesome Hollow | A Thief at the Theater | Missing Grace | Intruders at Rivermead Manor | The Jazzman’s Trumpet | Menace at Mammoth Cave
As not-really-a-dog-person, I found this stolen-dog tale more engaging than expected. It's clear early on that Grace has, in fact, been stolen; we move on pretty quickly from the idea that the mean boys were responsible; and untangling the connection to a string of other dog-nappings is all pretty clever.
With a different author at the helm, Kit is extremely methodical in this one. The way Jones lays out exactly what she noted and under which heading might have appealed to young me, though adult me finds it vaguely annoying.
For once, though, Kit has no thought of turning the mystery into a newspaper story. In fact, when someone else suggests the idea at the end, she's quick to shoot it down. But we know she's still writing: A newspaper story she's recently published is key to the plot.
A few quibbles:
- It takes Kit a long time to realize that the thief learned about Grace from her own newspaper story, which was blindingly obvious to me
- This book is not here for character development. Kit is who she is. Stirling gets sidelined about halfway through because... the author gets tired of dragging three kids around Cincinnati? Ruthie is here so that we can give her an aunt with (a) a car and (b) a police sergeant fiance, but she's otherwise pretty flat.
- I wanted some closure on the cranky boarder who insisted that Grace sleep outside in the first place. She completely drops out of the story - I wanted to see her find another place to live!
More Kit babble
Meet Kit | Kit Learns a Lesson | Kit’s Surprise | Happy Birthday, Kit | Kit Saves the Day | Changes for Kit
Really, Truly Ruthie
Kit’s Home Run | Kit’s Tree House | Kit’s Short Story Collection
Danger at the Zoo | Midnight in Lonesome Hollow | A Thief at the Theater | Missing Grace | Intruders at Rivermead Manor | The Jazzman’s Trumpet | Menace at Mammoth Cave
Read
August 13, 2025Plucky reporter Kit grapples with housefire induced PTSD while simultaneously busting a purebred dog criminal conspiracy. What did YOU do at age 10?
March 16, 2010
Kit's mysteries continue to be ridiculous. I love Kit as a character, but I thought this mystery was particularly far-fetched.
June 18, 2012
Kit writes a newspaper story about how her dog, Grace, saved the Kitteredges and their boarders from a house fire. Grace becomes a local celebrity, and all the attention is a lot of fun for Kit until the night Grace mysteriously vanishes. Who would take Kit's dog, and why?
I've read this one twice and loved it both times. The first time on purpose because I thought it sounded like a good story and the second time recently because I didn't remember having read it until I had read a couple chapters. I read it through any way just because I hate to start a book and then not finish it even if I've already read it.
Kit does get Grace back but I'm not saying anything else about it because then you won't want to read the story.
I've read this one twice and loved it both times. The first time on purpose because I thought it sounded like a good story and the second time recently because I didn't remember having read it until I had read a couple chapters. I read it through any way just because I hate to start a book and then not finish it even if I've already read it.
Kit does get Grace back but I'm not saying anything else about it because then you won't want to read the story.
May 21, 2017
So for the first half of the book I was enjoying it. It didn't seem like a mystery, but it was a pleasant seek and find. Once the second half hit I was done. Kit was obnoxious; she was pretty dim in the clues, and really whiny. The mystery was still not that much of a mystery. It was very easy to tell what had happened. Also the story just kinda starts and stops. It begins very abruptly and also ends abruptly.
November 19, 2011
i love this book because i love basset hounds. i thought this book was really good because i love mysteries.
June 10, 2013
a very good book. great for mystery fans. :)
June 8, 2025
Actual Rating: 3.5 stars
It's been a little while since I read an American Girl book! Probably even longer since it was an American Girl mystery. I haven't read many AG mysteries, but this one wasn't my favorite, from what I can recall of both it and others I've read in the past.
I did like the plot of this mystery, though! Grace is such a sweet part of Kit's story in both the books and movie, and to see a book centered around her was fun, even if it did involve her going missing!
It's been a little while since I read an American Girl book! Probably even longer since it was an American Girl mystery. I haven't read many AG mysteries, but this one wasn't my favorite, from what I can recall of both it and others I've read in the past.
I did like the plot of this mystery, though! Grace is such a sweet part of Kit's story in both the books and movie, and to see a book centered around her was fun, even if it did involve her going missing!
June 27, 2020
One of the more believable American girl mysteries and I learned a lot. Enjoyed it.
September 27, 2024
It seemed pretty obvious to me that the newspaper article had a lot to do with Grace’s disappearance, so this one seemed slow to me.
February 5, 2012
kit's mother accepts a new boarder who cannot stand dogs. the new tenant insists that kit's basste hound, grace, sleep outside for as long as she is renting a room. kit's explanation that grace sleeps in the attic with kit makes no impression. & the very first night that grace sleeps outside, she disappears.
kit has a few suspects in mind, specifically a couple of local bullies that had ridiculed kit & grace the day before. she, stirling, & ruthie stop by the home of the one of the bullies, but he says he has no idea where kit's dog could be & that he didn't take her. kit gets a little weepy & he softens & says he really doesn't know where her dog is. kit wonders if the other bully acted alone, but she doesn't know his address so she can't go ask him.
the kids go to a park, thinking maybe the other kid stole grace & took her to the park & set her free. the park is far enough away that grace would have had a hard time finding her way home again. they meet a man walking a basset hound, which he explains is an expensive purebred show dog, & a woman who says she saw a blond boy sitting on a bench with a basset hound that morning, but they don't find grace.
this mystery is incredibly convoluted & i can't exactly remember how the characters get from point A to point B to figure everything out, but it goes something like this:
* kit starts writing down clues, suspects, & theories.
* the kids visit a pet shop & are informed that a destitute-looking family made up on a man, a pregnant woman, & very blond boy had stopped in with a basset hound & purchased lots of supplies for it. they had german accents.
* a woman at the local soup kitchen tells the kids that a family named the muellers fits the description of the family in the pet shop. they'd been living in the hobo jungle by the river, & they haven't been by the soup kitchen in several days, which is unlike them.
* the hobos tell the kids that a man in a bowler hat offered mr. mueller a job & they left the camp. one of the hobos gives them a street name.
* kit sees a house with cloth diapers hanging on the clothesline out back on the muellers' new street. a very blond boy who answers to "sunny" (the nickname the hobos had used) comes to the door but denies having a dog.
* kit starts seeing more reports of missing/stolen basset hounds in the paper, including the show dog she met in the park.
* kit visits the man with the show dog & he says he got the dog from a nearby breeder famous for award-winning basset hounds.
* ruthie's aunt takes the kids to visit the breeder, who is closing up shop. he sold all of his equipment to his former trainer.
* kit sees some photos of the trainer, in which he is wearing a bowler hat & leaning against a cadillac like the one the hobos said the bowler hat man drove.
* kit realizes the trainer is stealing dogs that the breeder had sold for his new operation, with the hopes of breeding them again & making a killing on the puppies. or...something? this honestly made very little sense to me.
* kit presses sunny into a sting operation after sunny confesses that mr. mueller had accepted the job before he knew it involved stealing dogs. he admits that he helped steal grace, & says that the mueller family is being blackmailed into stealing dogs. (o....kaaaay.) kit explains that if the catch the trainer, the muellers won't get in trouble with the police.
* ruthie's aunt is dating a cop who helps with the sting. basically, the kids are just sipposed to sit tight & let the trainer sell one of the stolen dogs. when they find him in possession of a stolen dog, they can bust him.
* but instead, kit sees the trainer with grace & blows the whole thing up by calling grace over to her.
* it's enough for the cops though & they arrest the trainer & retrieve all the stolen dogs.
* kit learns that grace is a purebred show-quality dog who was abandoned when her owner fell on hard times. because when a dog is worth thousands of dollars & you're broke, it definitely makes more sense to abandon the dog on the street than to try to sell it.
the american girl mysteries are head & shoulders above the babysitters club mysteries when it comes to quality of writing & actual mysterious content, but they're still not great. i guess they can't be too wild because they're for kids, but they still rely a lot on hackneyed coincidence.
ps--that boarder who made grace sleep outside is pretty much just pure evil. i'd kill anyone who precipitated my cat getting catnapped.
kit has a few suspects in mind, specifically a couple of local bullies that had ridiculed kit & grace the day before. she, stirling, & ruthie stop by the home of the one of the bullies, but he says he has no idea where kit's dog could be & that he didn't take her. kit gets a little weepy & he softens & says he really doesn't know where her dog is. kit wonders if the other bully acted alone, but she doesn't know his address so she can't go ask him.
the kids go to a park, thinking maybe the other kid stole grace & took her to the park & set her free. the park is far enough away that grace would have had a hard time finding her way home again. they meet a man walking a basset hound, which he explains is an expensive purebred show dog, & a woman who says she saw a blond boy sitting on a bench with a basset hound that morning, but they don't find grace.
this mystery is incredibly convoluted & i can't exactly remember how the characters get from point A to point B to figure everything out, but it goes something like this:
* kit starts writing down clues, suspects, & theories.
* the kids visit a pet shop & are informed that a destitute-looking family made up on a man, a pregnant woman, & very blond boy had stopped in with a basset hound & purchased lots of supplies for it. they had german accents.
* a woman at the local soup kitchen tells the kids that a family named the muellers fits the description of the family in the pet shop. they'd been living in the hobo jungle by the river, & they haven't been by the soup kitchen in several days, which is unlike them.
* the hobos tell the kids that a man in a bowler hat offered mr. mueller a job & they left the camp. one of the hobos gives them a street name.
* kit sees a house with cloth diapers hanging on the clothesline out back on the muellers' new street. a very blond boy who answers to "sunny" (the nickname the hobos had used) comes to the door but denies having a dog.
* kit starts seeing more reports of missing/stolen basset hounds in the paper, including the show dog she met in the park.
* kit visits the man with the show dog & he says he got the dog from a nearby breeder famous for award-winning basset hounds.
* ruthie's aunt takes the kids to visit the breeder, who is closing up shop. he sold all of his equipment to his former trainer.
* kit sees some photos of the trainer, in which he is wearing a bowler hat & leaning against a cadillac like the one the hobos said the bowler hat man drove.
* kit realizes the trainer is stealing dogs that the breeder had sold for his new operation, with the hopes of breeding them again & making a killing on the puppies. or...something? this honestly made very little sense to me.
* kit presses sunny into a sting operation after sunny confesses that mr. mueller had accepted the job before he knew it involved stealing dogs. he admits that he helped steal grace, & says that the mueller family is being blackmailed into stealing dogs. (o....kaaaay.) kit explains that if the catch the trainer, the muellers won't get in trouble with the police.
* ruthie's aunt is dating a cop who helps with the sting. basically, the kids are just sipposed to sit tight & let the trainer sell one of the stolen dogs. when they find him in possession of a stolen dog, they can bust him.
* but instead, kit sees the trainer with grace & blows the whole thing up by calling grace over to her.
* it's enough for the cops though & they arrest the trainer & retrieve all the stolen dogs.
* kit learns that grace is a purebred show-quality dog who was abandoned when her owner fell on hard times. because when a dog is worth thousands of dollars & you're broke, it definitely makes more sense to abandon the dog on the street than to try to sell it.
the american girl mysteries are head & shoulders above the babysitters club mysteries when it comes to quality of writing & actual mysterious content, but they're still not great. i guess they can't be too wild because they're for kids, but they still rely a lot on hackneyed coincidence.
ps--that boarder who made grace sleep outside is pretty much just pure evil. i'd kill anyone who precipitated my cat getting catnapped.
May 31, 2014
Kit is once again on the job as cub reporter for the Cincinnati Register. She has just written the story of a lifetime and it happened to her! Kit's dog Grace rescued her family from a house fire and Kit's story has made Grace a local celebrity. People come from all over to meet Grace and have their picture taken with her. Everyone loves Grace, or do they? When a cranky new border moves in, poor Grace has to sleep on the porch instead of in the attic with Kit. The next morning, Grace is missing! Kit is frantic with worry but armed with her reporter skills and two trusty friends, she sets out to find Grace. In the process she uncovers a mystery surrounding a series of dog thefts in the area. Could the two stories be related and where does Grace fit in to the mystery? Where is Grace? Will Kit ever see her beloved friend again? Kit is determined to solve the mystery and get her beloved dog back.
I love dogs and I can really sympathize with Kit. I'd be frantic with worry if my dog disappeared and I had no way of tracking her down. The plot kept me guessing and turning the page but it didn't add anything to Kit's stories or really share anything about the Great Depression. It does go into depth about dog shows and purebred dogs. The Looking Back section includes information on dog shows.
I love dogs and I can really sympathize with Kit. I'd be frantic with worry if my dog disappeared and I had no way of tracking her down. The plot kept me guessing and turning the page but it didn't add anything to Kit's stories or really share anything about the Great Depression. It does go into depth about dog shows and purebred dogs. The Looking Back section includes information on dog shows.
May 26, 2011
A very nice little mystery. A well written story for any youngster. In addition, American Girl fans (especilly Kit fans) will love adding this book to their collection.
Kit follows the clues beyond her personal assumptions to find Grace. Her character grew throughout the story and she was able to help a family in trouble. It doesn't say, but I'm hoping she was also able to help the other families whose dogs wee stolen.
The historical information regarding pets during the Great Depression and how dog shows gained in popularity is very interesting giving a glimpse at life in the 1930s.
I liked this and will read it again sometime in the future.
Kit follows the clues beyond her personal assumptions to find Grace. Her character grew throughout the story and she was able to help a family in trouble. It doesn't say, but I'm hoping she was also able to help the other families whose dogs wee stolen.
The historical information regarding pets during the Great Depression and how dog shows gained in popularity is very interesting giving a glimpse at life in the 1930s.
I liked this and will read it again sometime in the future.
November 22, 2022
Re-read 2022: Another Kit mystery that I liked better the second time around. I really enjoyed that it's basically old-fashioned detective work, but that Kit is largely going about it in age appropriate way. The mystery isn't immediately guessable, partly because Kit's investigation brings to light extremely important information that is neither obvious nor available to her earlier. There are a couple of loose threads, though: Stirling vanishes from the narrative early on, for dubious reasons, and there's a persnickety boarder who sets the entire plot in motion who likewise is just entirely dropped from the narration.
October 17, 2016
This book is a girl named Kit growing up during the depression. In this book specifically, it is about her trying to find he dog Grace when she mysteriously disappears. Her and her two friends spend almost three weeks trying to find her. Through the book, Kit thinks it could be one of her school's bullies, a poor family who was seen with a dog the same breed as Grace, or a man in a Cadillac. In this book, the author uses misleading facts to make you think it is someone else until the very last page. I like this book and I give it 3 out of 5 stars.
June 28, 2023
Actual Rating: 3.5 stars
It's been a little while since I read an American Girl book! Probably even longer since it was an American Girl mystery. I haven't read many AG mysteries, but this one wasn't my favorite, from what I can recall of both it and others I've read in the past.
I did like the plot of this mystery, though! Grace is such a sweet part of Kit's story in both the books and movie and to see a book centered around her was fun, even if it did involve her going missing!
It's been a little while since I read an American Girl book! Probably even longer since it was an American Girl mystery. I haven't read many AG mysteries, but this one wasn't my favorite, from what I can recall of both it and others I've read in the past.
I did like the plot of this mystery, though! Grace is such a sweet part of Kit's story in both the books and movie and to see a book centered around her was fun, even if it did involve her going missing!
November 20, 2012
My daughter's third grade teacher recommended the American Girl mysteries for a student project. After reading the book, I agree with the teacher. This is a great book for children of that age, especially if they are dog lovers. Nice to find a mystery series that doesn't rely on Nancy Drew for my girl.
June 18, 2014
February 2010 review:
This one is the fourth “Kit” book in the AG mystery series. When Kit’s dog Grace mysteriously disappears, and with almost no trace as to where she, Kit is led on a desperate search to find her beloved dog, who is maybe worth more than Kit would have ever imagined. A good book!
This one is the fourth “Kit” book in the AG mystery series. When Kit’s dog Grace mysteriously disappears, and with almost no trace as to where she, Kit is led on a desperate search to find her beloved dog, who is maybe worth more than Kit would have ever imagined. A good book!
July 23, 2025
Missing Grace: A Kit Mystery by Elizabeth McDavid Jones, was a fun and adventurous story!
One day Kit's dog, Grace, goes missing and Kit is up to the task of finding her beloved dog.
I couldn’t put this book down and it was a delightful and intriguing, heartfelt mystery. If you are a fan of mysteries (and friendly ones), you will thoroughly enjoy this children’s novel, Missing Grace!
One day Kit's dog, Grace, goes missing and Kit is up to the task of finding her beloved dog.
I couldn’t put this book down and it was a delightful and intriguing, heartfelt mystery. If you are a fan of mysteries (and friendly ones), you will thoroughly enjoy this children’s novel, Missing Grace!
December 16, 2011
I liked this book a lot. U would think that just because it's American Girl Doll book it would be cheesy. I thought that too but it was so good it didn't seem like the dolls and the books related!
November 15, 2013
its about Kit's dog,Grace,is missing.and this family who is poor are helping him so Kit and her friends have to get her back.
March 2, 2010
Violet's reading page: http://happyheartsmom.typepad.com/swe...
March 4, 2010
A fast paced mystery that wasn't as scary for younger readers.
February 12, 2011
I love American Girl mysteries they are so good! They are so unpredictable!
March 5, 2011
Probably my favorite Kit book. :)
April 11, 2012
I love this book!!! I remember reading it in like 20 minutes!!!
January 3, 2019
Probably one of my favorite Kit mysteries. I love the show dog aspect, and the detective skills Kit, Stirling, and Ruthie have are just right for their age.
June 2, 2013
it was really great i loved it
March 9, 2014
A very twisty tale of a missing dog...and then several other missing dogs. I like how Kit logically kept track of the clues and tracked down the culprits. Very well done and fun to read.
March 27, 2014
This is an awesome book I have never read such a good book
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews