What's the Name of That Book??? discussion

I'm looking for a book that I read around 1990-1992(ish). The main character attends a school for gifted or intellectually gifted children. Her best friend if named Jess. Her (Jess') parents are going through a divorce. Main character's crush is named Ben. Money goes missing from the classroom and to help solve the mystery, the teacher uses UV reactive powder to find the thief. There is also a scene where the main character gets into trouble by writing book reports for other students.

April, are you still looking for this or did you find it?

I am still looking for this book

April, I added some plot details to the topic header, so your book might be recognized from that description alone. Many members only read the headers.

Feel free to update it by clicking the small "edit" link after the topic header. This only works on the full Desktop website - not the Mobile website or app. (On the Mobile website, there's a "Desktop version" link at the bottom of the page.)

- Would you call this a mystery or coming-of-age novel?

Thank you

You're welcome.

Was the whole school for gifted children, or just that particular class/program?

Were these kids in elementary, middle, or high school?

I want to say it was a whole school. There was a special bus that came and picked them up. Maybe middle school aged. The character Jess makes a comment about leaving the price tag visible from an outfit one parent bought her so that the other parent (divorced) will try to one up it.

Was the missing money the main storyline?

The Music Box Test has a girl in a gifted and talented program solving a theft, but it's not a total match.

Minus One, I Hate Being Gifted, and Dear Dad, Love Laurie have kids in gifted classes, but otherwise don't really match up. Are you positive about the names Jess and Ben?

Yes, that I am sure of

I cant remember if the missing money was the main storyline, but it was featured heavily in a few chapters. When the culprit is found, the character Jess says she is exonerated and the main character thinks she did it because she doesn’t know what that word means.

I also want to say maybe the main character was hatching beetles? That happens near the end of the story.

You have so many good details!

I've tried doing searches on Archive.org, but no promising results yet. It sounds like something I've read or would have read at that age.

Did it seem like part of a series or a stand alone?

I think it was a standalone book. I read so many books at that age - some stuck with me enough to remember these details.

Archive.org still yielding nada.

I keep thinking of The Rainbow Kid series, but I'm not seeing matching names.

I don’t think it’s this one. Aviva is a very distinct name and I definitely would have recalled that.

Two things of note: the main character sits behind Ben and she thinks to herself how his hair is touching his collar and that he will likely get a haircut soon. Also that when the UV powder is being used, Jess comes back from her turn saying she’s exonerated and the main character doesn’t know what that means and Jess says she didn’t study her vocabulary words very well then. The thief ends up being the class bully

Does anything on this list look familiar?

Crushes in YA and Middle Grade Fiction

A long shot - Double Crossed: The Case of the Missing Money by Hilda Stahl?

One cover image on eBay - https://www.ebay.com/itm/372316460680

Advanced search on Worldcat.org:

- https://search.worldcat.org/#advanced...
- Keywords: class money missing | Subject: juvenile fiction | 1960-1997 | Book | English

I think I found it in Google books: If Phyllis Were Here?

Google Books has a limited preview of If Phyllis Were Here by Gail Jarrow - Ayshe's suggestion. You might get lucky searching for keywords:

- https://books.google.com/books?id=Y3k...
- There are different cover images.
- Quote from the book:

- "Which one bought it for you?"
"The father. Can't wait to see what the mother gets to beat it. I made sure she saw the price tag this ..."

Holy shirtballs, YES!!! This is it!!!! Solved!!!

Excellent news, glad it's solved. Good find, Ayshe!