Miss Moses LoBeau, rising sixth grader, better known as Mo, lives in the small town of Tupelo Landing, North Carolina, population 148 and all 148 of them know each other more than well. But, that doesn't stop them from being shocked when Mr. Jesse shows up dead. We're talking done in here. But I get ahead of myself. Back to Mo who literally washed up in the middle of a hurricane a decade back and found herself in the arms of the Colonel who was washing up in the middle of a hurricane himself.
Mo and her valiant savior both floated into the life of Miss Lana, owner and operator of the local cafe. Now on this particular morning, Miss Lana has taken off for parts unknown but probably Charleston and that means Mo will be pouring the Mountain Dew and serving up Miss Lana's Practically Organic Garden Soup and taking care of the Azalea Ladies. Yup, it's all systems go until the door to the cafe opens and a real live detective walks in and it won't be long before the body appears and everyone is on the list of suspects.
Up to now Mo's life has been pretty much focused on sailing bottles off in search of her long lost mother, aiding and abetting her best friend, Dale, whose father doesn't hesitate to belt the nearest family member when he's had a few to many and when hasn't he had a few too many and discussing life with the Colonel. Lana is the mother Mo never had and Skeeter is the lawyer Mo didn't know she needed until now. The story winds and jumps and bubbles through some swampy country. There is a "voice" here that has great warmth, a sense of fun and is above all, a top-notch storyteller. You want to know what will happen next and you want to go along for this ride. A great read aloud. Who killed Jesse? What is the Colonel's secret? Will Mo find her mother and will she marry Lavender? It's a grand gumbo of a tale with a flavor all its own!
312 pages Ages 9-12 978-0142426050
Recommended by: Barb
ALSC Tween Recommended Reads https://www.ala.org/alsc/sites/ala.org.alsc/files/content/Tween13_RecReadsList.pdf
