The Dark Skies Mystery

May 15, 2024
Grades 4-7 It's 1942, and the U.S. is at war. While most boys in Henry's seventh-grade class dream of becoming soldiers overseas, Henry wants to contribute in a different way: as a news reporter. When his father joins the local Civil Defense program, conducting black-out drills and air-raid siren tests, Henry helps out--while staying vigilant for enemy spies, saboteurs, and suspicious activities that could become newsworthy stories. His hometown, Asheville, North Carolina, seems like a quiet city, but Henry's soon in grave danger, for, after finding a real security threat, he's kept from revealing information about the villains who are plotting to undermine morale. Straightforward, logical, and courageous, Henry is a likeable protagonist, caught up in a mystery and unsure where to turn. Hicks, who wrote The Crown Heist (2021), knows how to keep readers guessing right along with his protagonist, and kids who love tales of danger, adventure, and intrigue will find it hard to put this book down. A successful mix of mystery, thrills, and adventure within a well-drawn historical setting.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

June 1, 2024
A budding journalist uncovers a ring of saboteurs in his North Carolina town in the early 1940s. Twelve-year-old Henry Hamilton yearns to be a reporter like his hero, Edward R. Murrow, but his attempts to track down real scoops have so far been stymied by Willard Presley, a new reporter for the Asheville Citizen. So when Henry, as a junior helper for the town's teams of air raid wardens, gets wind of something fishy going on involving the nearby Biltmore Mansion and Estate, he sets out on his own to get the story. Hicks ups the stakes nicely by adding a trove of masterpieces transported in secret to the mansion from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. (which actually happened), as well as a large bomb--and even trotting in President Franklin Roosevelt himself to preside over an air raid blackout drill. Through a combination of pluck, clever deduction, and some unexpected help from Presley, Henry figures out what's going on in the very nick of time and plays a significant role in narrowly averting a major catastrophe. The author at first expends too much effort capturing the slower pace of life in wartime Asheville, picks up speed after the leisurely first half, and positively races through the climax. The cast reads white, and all major characters are male. A slow start and quaint casting but an exciting finish. (author's note) (Historical mystery. 9-13)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

June 24, 2024
Twelve-year-old Henry Hamilton, a North Carolina native, wants nothing more than to be a valiant reporter like Edward R. Murrow, whose WWII radio reports from London exhilarate him. But when Henry is too shy to pursue a major scoop, he fears he doesn’t have what it takes to be like his idol. Soon, however, he finds his own beat, reporting on 1942 Asheville, N.C.’s nascent air raid warden and blackout drill programs. His father’s employment at the nearby Vanderbilt-owned Biltmore Estate, as well as his vital role in the drill preparations, grant Henry unique access that he determines to make the most of. But Henry’s increased vigilance gets him into trouble when he stumbles upon a major government secret. As a new mystery emerges, he must summon all his reporter know-how to avert tragedy. Inspired by real-life historical events, Hicks (The Crown Heist) uses the Asheville setting to the fullest to craft an enthralling homefront spy adventure that celebrates the important work of journalists of all ages. Though sporadic chapters from adult POVs occasionally detract from this messaging, Henry proves himself a tenacious and inspiring protagonist whom readers won’t soon forget. The cast cues as white. Ages 8–12. Agent: Steve Chudney, Chudney Agency.