Synopsis
Someone started a fire at the local middle school. Until they’re caught, no one is safe.
From the author of I Know Your Secret, this is a thrilling middle-grade mystery that’s sure to keep you guessing.
There’s a fire in a school locker!
Was it an accident? A prank gone wrong? Arson? Someone looking for revenge? . . .
Eva, Dani, Liam, and Gabe are determined to figure out who started the fire, and why. And they each have their own reasons for wanting to be the first ones to figure out what really happened.
The administration says they’re looking into it, but evidence is scarce. It will take four students who can tap into the rumors, gossip, and hidden secrets of their school to uncover what really happened on the day of the fire. And if they don’t figure it out in time? Well, one of them could be accused of the crime.
But all their potential leads turn out to be dead ends. It’s as if the arsonist is somehow tracking their every move . . .
A high-stakes whodunit, I Know You Started It is perfect for readers interested in:
- Kid-friendly mysteries
- Edge-of-your-seat thrills
- Plot twists
- Unreliable narrators
- Fast-paced action
- Quick reads
- Themes of bullying and social media
Review
Huge thanks to Scholastic for the physical arc! I thought the cover was good and the rest is history.
An older kid’s locker caught on fire. Everyone in school is speculating about it: arson, revenge, accident. Everyone seems to be an expert. But when four students who share the locker alcove where the fire started are called to the office, all that speculation now has faces to point the blame at. Can Gabe, Liam, Dani, and Kate solve the crime before they’ve lost to the court of public opinion? And regardless of what happened to the locker, was there something more serious that caused it to happen?
For me, this was just a really nice, brain-off kind of read. I read it on vacation, and while the mystery is quite simple, I did enjoy the characters. Gabe is a troublemaker, perhaps some would even call him a bully. But after seeing a fight go too far, he’s determined to turn a new leaf, even if others struggle to believe it. Liam is shy, nerdy, and uncomfortable being the new kid in school. While that temperament wouldn’t normally lend itself to vandalism, he was seen being interviewed by the locker’s owner. Kate and Dani are both part of the school’s paper, and if anyone was going to know secrets or gossip, their classmates are bound to assume it’s them. All four of them share lockers near his, and with minimal poking, it could be blamed on any of them. But are they guilty?
This is definitely a mystery for younger ages. It isn’t overly complicated, and if you are looking for the clues, you can see the twist, but it is perfect for middle-grade readers. The school features a diverse student body, which was very similar to the school I attended, but for those who don’t live in that type of area, this would be great to have on hand to show them.
For me, the best part of this is the main four. Some Scooby Doo references sprinkled in, this is just such an unlikely group to smush together. Liam could so easily have been one of Gabe’s victims. Dani and Kate are actual ex-best friends. The actual does well to show how everyone can be complex and multilayered enough for introspection and growth. Sometimes the real bullies are those pretending to be the nicest.
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