Sneaks

Two tweens band together to investigate compounding mysteries throughout their neighborhood in Tern’s heartfelt contemporary debut. White-cued 12-year-old Valory combats boredom by stealing, much to the consternation of her single mother, who cleans homes for wealthy Bostonians. Accompanying her mother on one such job, Valory nicks a valuable coin and is confronted by the homeowner, Mrs. Sagara. To Valory’s shock, Mrs. Sagara’s shy, reclusive son, 12-year-old piano prodigy Rook, takes the blame, an act that kicks off an unlikely friendship between the youths. Later, Rook, who is white and Japanese, confides in Valory that a long-empty unit in the apartment building across the street from his house suddenly seems occupied. Homeschooled due to his agoraphobia, Rook hesitates to uncover the mystery by himself, so he recruits courageous Valory into his inquiry. Struggling to adjust to her mother’s new police officer boyfriend and reeling from a falling out with her best friend, Valory welcomes the distraction. As she and Rook investigate, they become convinced that a missing child may be hidden in the apartment. Depictions of Valory’s emotional growth and Rook’s anxiety feel organic and sensitively wrought across alternating third-person perspectives that follow the pair. Valory’s wit and charisma inject levity into a hijinks-fueled romp. Ages 8–12. (July)