Mysteries of Trash and Treasure: The Secret Letters (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780062838520)

In this page-turning middle grade series by New York Times bestseller Margaret Peterson Haddix, Colin and Nevaeh, whose parents own rival junk-removal businesses, uncover mysteries hidden in attics and basements and discover how trash can become treasure. In The Secret Letters, Colin and Nevaeh find vintage letters that lead to interlocking mysteries from the 1970s and '80s, and they learn about "women's lib," the ERA, and other social issues from that time in history--and the way echoes from that era affect Colin and Nevaeh themselves.

When Colin finds a shoebox full of letters hidden in a stranger's attic, he knows he's supposed to throw them away. That's his summer job, getting rid of junk. But Colin wants to rescue the letters--and find out what really happened to best friends Rosemary and Toby way back in the 1970s.

Meanwhile, across town, Nevaeh also finds a mysterious letter. But this one reads like a confession to a crime. And Nevaeh knows her father, the "Junk King," expects her to join the rest of the family in blaming a single suspect: his business rival, Colin's mom.

But that's not what Nevaeh wants, either.

Even as one set of letters bring Colin and Nevaeh together, the one Nevaeh found threatens to tear them apart. Is their new friendship as doomed as Rosemary and Toby's?

Each book in the Mysteries of Trash and Treasure series will examine a different time period in history and make readers think about how we value the stuff we hold on to--and what it is that makes it valuable.

Author: Margaret Peterson Haddix
ISBN-10: 0062838520
ISBN-13: 9780062838520
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Language: English
Published: 09/20/2022
Pages: 400
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.01lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.40w x 1.60d

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 5.2
Point Value: 11
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 516471 / Mysteries of Trash and Treasure: The Secret Letters


Review Citation(s):
School Library Journal 07/01/2022 pg. 57
Kirkus Reviews 07/15/2022
Publishers Weekly 08/08/2022
Horn Book Magazine 01/01/2023 pg. 83
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2023 - Superior,Well Above Average