Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Twelfth
Author: Janet Key
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 4/5
Diversity: Non-binary character, Wheelchair user character, Trans character, Gay character, Queer characters
Recommended For…: middle grade readers, mystery, LGBT, thriller, theater, summer camp
Publication Date: May 17, 2022
Genre: MG Mystery
Age Relevance: 12+ (homophobia, transphobia, antisemitism, religion, religious trauma, depression, parental death, kidnapping, war, gore, violence, domestic abuse, romance)
Explanation of Above: There are some homophobia, transphobia, and antisemetic comments made to characters in the book. There is mentions of religion and religious trauma. Depression and parental death is mentioned briefly. There is a couple of kidnapping scenes, along with mentions of war and scenes of gore (vomit and some slight blood) and violence (assault on minors). Domestic abuse is alluded to in the book and there are a couple of brief scenes of romance.
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 368
Synopsis: Twelve-year-old Maren is sure theater camp isn’t for her. Theater camp is for loud, confident, artsy people: people like her older sister, Hadley—the last person Maren wants to think about—and her cinema-obsessed, nonbinary bunkmate, Theo. But when a prank goes wrong, Maren gets drawn into the hunt for a diamond ring that, legend has it, is linked to the camp’s namesake, Charlotte “Charlie” Goodman, a promising director in Blacklist Era Hollywood.
When Maren connects the clues to Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, she and her new friends are off searching through lighting booths, orchestra pits and costume storages, discovering the trail and dodging camp counselors. But they’re not the only ones searching for the ring, and with the growing threat of camp closing forever, they’re almost out of time.
Review: I enjoyed this summer camp read! I loved that it was a theater camp and that the mystery was Shakespeare themed. The book had pretty decent character development and world building. The story was interesting and it kept me reading until the very end to figure out the whodunit. I also enjoyed the riddles even though I didn’t understand them. I also appreciate all of the useful material at the end of the book!
However, I knew it wasn’t going to be so good for me when the book started off with 2 full pages of characters. I did have trouble remembering all of the characters, there were a lot, and reading an ebook made it hard to flip to the front of the book to check who was who. I thought that the book was a little on the boring side in the beginning until about halfway through the book and that there was just so much slow pacing throughout the read.
Verdict: I liked it!
Book Info:
Twelfth by Janet Key
Genre: Middle Grade Mystery Historical
Publishing Date: May 17, 2022
Synopsis:
Better Nate Than Ever meets The Parker Inheritance in this heartwarming mystery about finding your people and accepting others as they are.
Twelve-year-old Maren is sure theater camp isn’t for her. Theater camp is for loud, confident, artsy people: people like her older sister, Hadley—the last person Maren wants to think about—and her cinema-obsessed, nonbinary bunkmate, Theo. But when a prank goes wrong, Maren gets drawn into the hunt for a diamond ring that, legend has it, is linked to the camp’s namesake, Charlotte “Charlie” Goodman, a promising director in Blacklist Era Hollywood.
When Maren connects the clues to Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, she and her new friends are off searching through lighting booths, orchestra pits and costume storages, discovering the trail and dodging camp counselors. But they’re not the only ones searching for the ring, and with the growing threat of camp closing forever, they’re almost out of time.
Book Links:
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58783431-twelfth
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/twelfth-janet-key/1140137043?ean=9780316669313
Book Depository: https://www.bookdepository.com/
Indigo: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/twelfth/9780316669313-item.html?ikwid=twelfth+janet+key&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=0#algoliaQueryId=526c89bab0803c85591991b908acdc04 IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780316669313
About the Author:
When Janet Key was twelve, she sang and danced onstage in the background of musicals, stayed up too late reading Shakespeare, and had a closet full of themed, handsewn vests.
This is her first novel.
Author Links:
Website: https://www.janetkeybooks.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janetkeybooks/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21737421.Janet_Key
Tour Schedule:https://tbrandbeyondtours.com/2022/04/11/tour-schedule-twelfth-by-janet-key/
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