Recommended Reads

Two years after being framed for fraud by the Society of the Charmed, an exclusive club of New York's wealthiest--and most magical--citizens, Emmy Vallillo wastes away in prison, utterly alone. Until her cell door bursts open, revealing Jack Fontaine, one of the Society's favorite sons, now imprisoned for a crime he swears he didn't commit. They make a deal: he'll help Emmy escape, if she helps destroy those who've wronged them. 

When the first letter appears in Kay Anderson's locker, it carries one instruction: dye your hand blue. Kay doesn't have time for secret societies. Still, Kay's intrigued, so she stains her palms with ink to join the mysterious Blue Hand Girls. Kay soon finds out that the group is set on exposing the shady business that Davison's founders would rather keep hidden.

Run away with me is a profoundly romantic YA novel about two teenage boys finding each other and falling in love over one summer in Rome.

Sixteen-year-old Winnie Bray is a liar. As the resident psychic at an oddities shop, Winnie truly can see the future. But her customers only want reassurance, and Winnie only wants their money. Favorable fortunes are a fast track to funding her way out of Buffalo, NewYork, for good, after all. But all of that changes when a vision sends her stalking in the remains of her family home that burned down in a fire 10 years ago.

Seventeen-year-old Willow Stokes gets by selling fraudulent charms and magical items at her father's shoppe, but when outlander Brianna unintentionally turns her fake wares real, the girls' paths intertwine as they search for a missing grimoire and try to break Brianna's curse.

Seventeen-year-old Lena partners with an ancient spirit to undo the magic that binds her to the crown as the empire's Fateweaver.

Expecting a spiritual retreat after a horrific incident, famous singer Tian and her bodyguard Liya find themselves on an abandoned island with sinister rituals where they unravel the occult mysteries connected to their past.

Unable to sing after a traumatic assault, seventeen-year-old Lula travels to Venice with her ensemble where she studies the life and music of Italian composer Barbara Strozzi.

Mikky Graves returns to his hometown to comfort his sixteen-year-old sister, Kyla, after her best friend's murder, and resolves to stay and uncover the truth, but the deeper the siblings dig into the secrets of Prophets Lake and its powerful beauty brand, the more Mikky questions everything, including his own sister.

A time-bending, supernatural love story where a prickly young woman and a carefree stranger travel back in time to the Worlds Fair and must save the universe after accidentally destroying it in the first place.

High school senior Terra Slater, a golem crafted from magic, must master the power that binds her while forming an unexpected alliance with Thorne, a magical bounty hunter, to save herself, her fellow golems, and the warlock who created them.

A third-generation Korean American teen goes to extreme and hilarious lengths to connect more with her Korean heritage.

Six out of eight teens who made it out alive from a ski trip two years ago must fight for their survival again--this time from a lurking killer on a secluded island.

After losing her best friend and being bitten in a werewolf attack, seventeen-year-old Vanessa, now a newly turned werewolf, seeks vengeance on the Wolf Queen's Court, where she becomes mesmerized by a prince who is promised to another.

Book 1 in Shadow Weavers series

In a kingdom plagued with a deadly curse spread by dreaming, eighteen-year-old Esmer has the ability to enter the dream realm where she falls in love with the wicked Shadow Bringer.

Gretel had no choice. Her brother, Hansel, was in danger, and she had to kill the witch. Five months later, she is still ripped from her dreams and awoken by the noise of her sword tearing in to the witch's flesh. Her waking hours are no better. Hansel has grown more and more like their monstrous father. The society she now inhabits has trapped her in and endless cycle of balls with nobles who sneer at her family's new money. But in the quiet of night, still trapped in her castle with her memories, Gretel feels the walls closing in and ventures into the neighboring woods. There, she meets Katharina, a beautiful witch who introduces her to the witch community. But these women aren't evil, they're healers, and Gretel is drawn to them. When information comes to light implicating her family's involvement in a traitorous plot that endangers her life and those she's grown to care about, Gretel must ask herself -- did the wrong person die in that cottage? And can the Witchkiller become a witch?

Zoe takes a cross-country train over the fall break to sort out their falling out with friends, come to terms with their gender identity, and more while making new friends and connections

When her step-grandmother dies during a family vacation, fourteen-year-old, mystery-loving Ruth gets her dream chance to solve a real-life murder--only to discover that every relative might be a suspect.

Spanning one hundred and thirty years of love and longing, this tale of immortal beloveds searching for their perfect place and time is a vibrant hymn to the beauty of being alive, a celebration of queer love and community, and a reminder that behind every tragic thing that ever existed, there is something exquisite.

This is the story of Emma's complex love affair with America. It's also the story of her many romances with the men she met while trying to change America. Emma believed marriage was disempowering to women and lived her life according to the principles of free love. Emma called herself an anarchist and a freethinker. Her critics called her a troublemaker, a "loudmouth." But sometimes you need to be loud, if you want your voice to be heard. 

After her family moves to Connecticut, high school senior and aspiring artist Rose falls for wealthy, handsome Hart, whose family's mysterious, sprawling garden hides a sinister secret.

When an LGBTQ+ club meeting coincides with an attack on the head cheerleader, seventeen-year-old Eleanora and the other club members must solve the crime themselves to clear their names and save the club from disappearing.

Two teen girls from colliding parallel universes meet in a coffeeshop and fall in love.

When seventeen-year-old Kel Varra and her phoenix, Savita, join the Crimson Howlers racing team, they must navigate fierce rivalries, a mysterious tech mogul with his own hidden agenda, and a dangerous romance with Kel's arrogant rival, Warren "Coup" Coupers.

Let this teen investing book be your guide to money matters ranging from the difference between stocks and bonds to ways to research potential investments.

After coming out as trans, fourteen-year-old A is forced to attend weekly Save Our Sons and Daughters meetings, where he uncovers the terrifying truth that the group is run by a demon feeding on their pain and is part of a larger, darker force preying on the world's vulnerable.

A young thief attempting a daring casino heist during a high-stakes tournament is torn between two warring brothers.

When Favre sacrifices her wings for love, it triggers tragic consequences that reverberate through time, and a thousand years later, crown princess Leyla embarks on a perilous journey to rescue her friend without awakening an ancient evil.

After Mads reluctantly agrees to be a bridesmaid for her soon to be sister-in-law, she is forced into a bridesmaids-only game of "Truth or Dare" and reveals she has never been kissed or even been on a date. This spurs the other girls to unite on a quest to find Mads the perfect plus-one for the wedding. As the wedding draws nearer, Mads has to figure out who she wants most as a dance partner, while also making sure her brother isn't making the biggest mistake of his life.

Phantom of the Opera meets Black Swan in this breathtakingly gorgeous gothic fantasy about love and control that will never let you go. A group of hauntingly beautiful girls have been bound together by a cruel curse--and one of them will go to any lengths to save them from their violent dance.

Branded with a red stripe on her uniform for using dark magic, Faith and the other probationary students at Ellery West investigate the ancient forest that swallowed her best friend.

Seventeen-year-old Jodi Dillon, the outsider in an exclusive high school group, is caught between loyalty and self-preservation after the mysterious death of a former friend, as strange events and unsettling truths begin to unravel about the group's dark secrets.

Dixie Mulligan plans to confess her love to her best friend Sawyer during their annual California vacation, but after discovering that he has moved on, she uses a magical "Rewind" to fix their past--only to face unexpected family secrets that may complicate everything.

Snow White awakens after twenty years to find her kingdom in ruins and embarks on a dangerous journey to become the Seasonkeeper in order to restore it, while facing the dilemma of killing the Evil Queen's daughter or falling in love with her.

Taylor and Marianna were each other's whole world, until Marianna moved away and Taylor promptly ghosted her. When the former best friends turned rivals end up on the same cross-country team three years later, everything is a competition and a reminder of old feelings, as well as blossoming new ones. Can this pair figure out a way to work together before their past catches up with them?

A terrible accident. That's all anyone in Fenix can talk about when a fire consumes the local high school, taking the life of a student. The town mourns, except who really knew Eden when she was alive? And why was she in the building that night? Five teens each hold a piece of the truth about what happened. They also have their own secrets, secrets they will fight to protect with the same fury as the blaze that killed Eden. 

Four unlikely allies in a small Southern town investigate the disappearance of a local teen, uncovering a dark and ancient evil rooted in their community, far more sinister than they could have imagined. 

Verity Vox is a witch-in-training who has never met a problem her spells can't solve. But when a cryptic plea for help sends her to the forgotten coal mining town of Foxfire, she soon learns even magic has its limits.

Five teenage travelers, left behind when their community of inhuman creatures mysteriously disappears, must uncover the truth about what happened while grappling with their own hidden secrets.

This powerful and unflinching examination of racism in America by award-winning historian Ann Bausum deconstructs the warped history of the Civil War

Set in a struggling 1960s Florida town, two sisters, fifteen-year-old Pip and seventeen-year-old Sissy, share a close bond, but after the annual carnival leaves, Sissy grows distant and reveals a shocking secret, thrusting the sisters and their friend Silas into a life-changing, desperate situation.

A young Black woman in 1860s England is forced into London society where she reunites with the boy who broke her heart.

To save her sister, sixteen-year-old Birdie becomes a maid at the House of Quiet, a refuge for children whose Procedure triggered powers too terrible to live with, where she encounters aristocratic teens wielding strange abilities and uncovers terrifying threats and devastating truths.

Jade can manipulate souls with the tug of a thread, and it is up to her, and a boy with a soul as bright as the universe, to stop a creature on the loose before it claims its next victim.

A wild misfit in the human world, Nettle is enthralled by the glamor of the faery realm. She grows close to Conor, a human stolen centuries before, and she also falls under the spell of mysterious Ellion, a shadow faery. To try to help her beloved grandmother who is fading in her world, Nettle makes a pact with the faery king. He’ll heal her grandmother in exchange for Nettle completing three tasks. She agrees, not realizing that deception lurks in this enchanted place, and that she has been tricked.

Spanning two timelines, one teen searches for her biological mother and the other copes with giving up her baby for adoption.

In a land oppressed by the Dragon Empire, sixteen-year-old Lee Seung, a poor cleaner, and privileged Choi Eunji form an unlikely bond, only to find themselves on opposite sides of a battle for the last tiger--a magical spirit key to their nation's liberation and their intertwined destinies.

Sixteen-year-old Greta attempts to reinvent herself at her amusement park summer job, but things take a deadly turn when a co-worker disappears.

Celia, determined to be the perfect friend, plans an idyllic summer with her two best friends in a secluded cabin, but hidden romantic tensions and new connections have the potential to turn her dream getaway into a complicated nightmare.

Anyone who has hiked through time knows the town of Pocket. To Calisto, Pocket is home. For Fawkes, traveling is life. When he floats into Pocket, Calisto meets him for the first time, though Fawkes has seen Calisto--in glimpses of what hasn't happened yet. He's also seen the villains chasing them both. Now Calisto and Fawkes must rush through time to save Pocket, and travelers, from being erased.

Hakeem goes to Narcotics Anonymous meetings to keep his addictions in check. But when his best friend Miles kills himself, Hakeem finds the days harder and harder to get through. In his grief, Hakeem calls Miles's old phone number. Miles not only calls back from beyond the grave, but has news to share: He didn't kill himself. He was murdered. Finding out the truth about Miles might end up helping Hakeem find his way to his own truth and further strength to stay alive himself. 

Two teen girls must uncover the dark, occult secrets lurking in their Cape Cod town to solve a series of murders-and save themselves from the same fate.

In the Kingdom of Daradon, a persecuted few are Wielders, in possession of a magical Spectre--a shimmering thread that can extend beyond their visible body to give a loving caress, pick a lock, even kill. Feared for this ability, Wielders have always been Hunted. Alissa Paine, heiress and daughter of a Hunter family is also a Wielder. Summoned to the harsh and glittering royal court for the debutante season, Alissa finds herself caught in a web of intrigue and betrayal. With the threat of discovery lurking around every corner Alissa will find that she has more to lose than her secrets.

A dead teacher at an elite boarding school. Four students who had every reason to want her gone. Who is the monster?

"When Ellis' parents announce that not only are they separating, but Ellis has to move with her mom from New York City to Bramble Falls, Connecticut, it couldn't come at a worse time. From past summers spent in Connecticut, Ellis knows it will be impossible to avoid local barista Cooper Barnett, Ellis's one-time best friend and first kiss who now wants nothing to do with Ellis. And then there's the Falling Leaves Festival. Dragged to every oh-so-charming event from apple picking to pumpkin carving, Ellis can't stop bumping into Cooper...or falling for the quaint town and its quirky residents. As her return to Manhattan gets repeatedly delayed, Ellis finds herself caught between two very different places--and the futures they represent.

"Lonely Leena" is close with her young single mother. Still, she's always secretly dreamed of more. A huge family to cheer her on at graduation. A gaggle of smiling faces at the holidays. But one call from the hospital, and her mother's hidden past comes to light, and with family comes family secrets. Leena isn't sure who to trust, yet she's certain that she adores Tariq, her grandfather, and her mom. A big family was the dream, but all this drama isn't. 

While scuba diving off the Australian coast, Phoebe "Phibs" Ray and her friends uncover a legendary underwater treasure, but as strange transformations begin to take hold, they must fight to protect each other from dangerous treasure hunters and a dark, growing power.

Set at a classic drive-in restaurant that seems to exist in every Native community, this anthology unites the stories of teens from all kinds of backgrounds through the shared theme of Native joy, with stories and poems reflecting hope, healing, humor, love, friendship, romance, and joy.

In the city of Valora, where mages are feared and closely governed by the law, Pandora Small spends her life pretending to be someone she is not. Pandora's arrival at court becomes complicated when Ellis Beacon, a promising young member of the royal guard, discovers the true scope of Pandora's deadly magic. Beacon agrees to keep her secret. But when someone or something with powers terribly like Pandora's own begins killing her fellow Ingenues, Beacon must decide whether Pandora is truly innocent or if there's ruthless killer lying under her masterfully crafted facade.

After making a cultural blunder at her cousin's wedding, seventeen-year-old Leah travels to China to connect with her roots and winds up falling for a former classmate on the trip, who she previously blamed for ruining her life.

Gardner isn't like other boarding schools. They take in those who've been rejected everywhere else, they offer a survival skills class that has students killing and gutting animals, and then there's the Tournament. This year, three seniors make the Tournament more cutthroat than ever. Max, Nora, and Teddy. If one of them wants to win, then they can't let anything--or anybody--get in their way.

Eighteen-year-old pop star Summer Ali breaks free from her controlling parents to find her own voice. Struggling with writer's block, she agrees to a PR romance with notorious former child actor Jules Moradi. As their fake relationship deepens, Summer discovers truths about identity, fame, and love, forcing her to choose between her career dreams and her heart.

Book 2 in the Grandest Game series

Players move into the next round of the Grandest Game, where millions of dollars in prize money are on the line-and new relationships, motivations, and threats come to light.

Book 2 in the Fall of the Dragon series

An attack by the mysterious pirate fleet, Blood Phoenix, forces Ying and her allies back into the political turmoil of the Nine Isles, while her sister Nian uncovers a dark conspiracy in the capital, as the Isles teeter on the brink of destruction.

After discovering a camera memory card with hundreds of photos of teenage girls, seventeen-year-olds Willow and Dare set out fine some of them who have gone missing.

After a public meltdown and her best friend's betrayal lead her family to move onto a sailboat at sea, seventeen-year-old Mia struggles with isolation and her mental health until she meets Alby and Nisha, prompting Mia to navigate new romantic feelings, family tensions, and her own personal growth.

Book 1 in the Fateless series

When seventeen-year-old Sparrow joined the Thieves Guild she made a vow of binding loyalty to their cause. What ensues is a death-defying adventure that has Sparrow and her band of thieves venturing into the heart of the forgotten city of the Deathless King. 

When sixteen-year-old Emma finds a mysterious boy in the woods, she unlocks memories of magical Hawaiian spirits and works with the legendary menehune to break his curse and protect the sacred forest on the Big Island.

Kristina R. Gaddy tells the story of America's tumultuous years leading up to the Civil War and of the war itself from the viewpoints of four children of famous abolitionists, including those of Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison.

Sixteen-year-old Bibi Hossain's summer plans for romance take an unexpected turn when her sister gets engaged, sending her to Bangladesh for the wedding, where she experiences major culture shock and a possible romance with the groom's younger brother.

On the run from a mercenary dragon, among other dangers, thirteen-year-old Charl seeks refuge in an abandoned abbey haunted by an assemblage of ghosts.

Sixteen-year-old Jaelyn Coleman falls in love for the first time at her local, beloved roller-skating rink, just as news hits it is shutting down amidst her neighborhood quickly gentrifying.

From first crushes to first heartbreaks, complicated family dynamics to community relationships, this powerful collection of stories explores race, class, culture, language, and the very idea of home as both a place and a feeling. Edited by Samira Ahmed and Sona Charaipotra and featuring some of the most acclaimed, bestselling South Asian authors writing for teens today--this is an essential collection of captivating stories about what it means to be South Asian.

Seventeen-year-old Delia's frustrating journey to find a diagnosis for her excruciating menstrual pain leads to a fateful decision to self-medicate with marijuana, putting her future in jeopardy.

Lara's dream job aboard a luxury train takes a strange turn when she discovers the mysterious botanical cargo in the caboose.

An amnesiac sword-for-hire and a village girl with a strange magical power become entangled in worlds-altering events, and each other's destinies.

Grieving the loss of her classmate and childhood friend, eighteen-year-old Monika searches for a legendary tunnel, said to resurrect one soul from the dead for anyone brave enough to face their inner demons.

In a world where past lives determine your future, a sharp-witted girl confronts a major twist of destiny, embroiling her in a high-stakes game of danger, corruption, and heartbreak.

1989, Soviet Estonia. In sixteen-year-old Vik's village -- and the cursed forest that looms beyond -- danger is everywhere. Deep in the heart of the wood, a lantern-eyed spirit lies in wait to disappear those who wander too far past the trees. Vik knows because five years ago, she led her little sister Anna over that invisible line -- and never saw her again. The only thing Vik has wished for since then is her sister's safe return. So when Anna stumbles back through the tree line on the anniversary of her disappearance, it's a miracle... Or is it a lie? Whoever she is, one thing is clear: she was never meant to escape the trees. 

Gwen is sick of hiding--hiding the fact that she's taken over her father's blacksmithing duties, hiding her attraction to girls, hiding her yearning for glory as a knight. Meanwhile, Lady Isobelle of Avington, queen bee of the castle, has never once considered hiding who she is--until now. She's been chosen as the grand prize in the Tournament of Dragonslayers, to be given to whichever knight can claim her hand. And for the first time in her life, she can't talk her way out of trouble. When Isobelle discovers Gwen's knightly ambitions, they hatch a scheme together--Gwen will joust in the tournament, disguised as Sir Gawain. Winning means freedom for Isobelle, and glory for Gwen. Losing means ... well, let's not go there. One thing's for sure: Falling in love was never the plan. But the best laid plans ... are often trampled all over by dragons.

In the final days of Pompeii, two boys--Felix and Loren--must grapple with closely-guarded secrets and untangle myth, magic, and memory to escape the burning city alive

Underhill's trans romantic comedy follows the separate moves of two teenage boys, Arden and Gabe. Arden is reluctant to leave his supportive queer community in Los Angeles for Winifred, Michigan, while Gabe is eager to start anew and openly express his identity in Pasadena, California, away from his small Illinois hometown. The two meet unexpectedly in Nebraska and connect over their shared love for the band Damaged Pixie Dream Boi. After spending an evening together, they part ways knowing only each other's first name. As they navigate their new environments, both find themselves thinking about their brief encounter, raising the question of whether their connection was significant enough to bring them together again.

After the death of her father, Margo is on her way to a new boarding school in a new city. But when Margo suddenly appears one day on Moon's train, their fates become inextricably linked. If Margo wants to survive, she has to pass as a traveling salesman, too--except it's not that easy. Move north on the train line and time speeds up, a day passing in mere hours. Move south and time slows down--a day can last several weeks. As Margo moves between worlds and her attachment to Moon intensifies, she feels her youth start to slip between her fingers. But is Moon everything he seems? Is Margo?

The beautiful Valla travels through dangerous Gottyar Wood to get to Count Leonid's castle, but her face is torn to shreds en route and the Count is unhappy, in a female-forward narrative that borrows from horror, fairy tales and folklore.

A talented dancer, fifteen-year-old Esme struggles to regain her sense of self after an assault, as she navigates the complexities of friendship, first love, family problems, and the emotional challenges of growing up.

Two teenage girls from opposite worlds both end up as prime suspects when a rich classmate is murdered.

When Sydney Michaels stops for breakfast in order to put off scholastic ruin a little longer, she never expected to--quite literally--bump into cute-boy stranger, Marcus Burke. After a magical day together in, Sydney is finally willing to believe that maybe, after years of loss and heartache, she's finally reached the good part. But when it comes time to say goodbye, as they linger in a crosswalk, something happens. An accident? Sydney isn't sure--all she knows is that she opens her eyes and is back in her bed. On September 24--the morning of her big exam--again.

Sixteen-year-old Talia delves into her memories of the hidden feminist commune she grew up in and plots her way back to it after her mother is arrested for murder.

Mariel, the granddaughter of Robin Hood, tries to prove herself to her father while suspecting a mole in the Merry Men's ranks but mistakenly kidnaps cheerful healer Clem, and together they embark on a dangerous rescue mission and grow closer along the way.

Gloria and Xia, two very different high school seniors in a small South Carolina town, form an unexpected friendship that blossoms into more intense feelings and challenges their identities, forcing them to confront their hidden truths.

One year after Nan's three best friends disappear, no one is more surprised than her when one of them returns--because she is the one who killed them.

Xavier Oaks doesn't particularly want to go to the cabin with his dad and his dad's pregnant new wife, Nia. But family obligations are family obligations, and it's only for a short time. So he leaves his mom, his brother, and his other friends behind for a week in thewoods. Only... one morning he wakes up and the house isn't where it was before. It's like it's been lifted and placed... somewhere else. When Xavier, his dad, and Nia go explore, they find they are inside a dome, trapped. And there's no one else around... Until, three years later, another family arrives. Is there any escape? Is there a reason they are stuck where they are? Different people have different answers -- and those different answers inexorably lead to tension, strife, and sacrifice

When seventeen-year-old Nina Riley is saved by a cute guy, she doesn't get his number, and after tracking him down, she finds he's different than remembered, and a few dates later, she meets his family, including his twin brother.

A girl who paints the future and a cursed dragon lord, bound by love and deception, pair up in a plot to bring down the gods.

Harper Reid's summer is not off to a great start. After the death of her grandpa, she moves across the country, leaving her friends and Dungeons & Dragons group behind. She wasn't exactly planning to start her senior year on the farm where she spent her childhood summers, but running into Ollie Shifflet--former best friend and first crush--makes things much better. When Harper discovers Ollie and her friends are starting a new D&D campaign, she quickly joins the group. As Harper and Ollie reconnect in the real world, romantic tension begins to build between Harper's brash barbarian and Ollie's proud paladin, but it's all just part of the game...right? Ollie's future depends on keeping her bisexuality private while Harper's dreams include an out-and-proud life in their rural town, but as their feelings continue to grow with each gaming session, their relationship begins threatening everything they've worked so hard to build. As the school year comes to a close and the campaign's final boss looms on the horizon, Harper and Ollie must decide: are their feelings more than just a fantasy? Because if they want a second chance at love, they'll have to fight for it, both in-game and in real life.

Book 1 of Throne of Khetara series

Four strangers connected by a forgotten oracle must work together to save their divided kingdom from destruction amidst the brewing conflict and struggle for the pharaoh's throne.

After taking time off from Yates Academy to grieve his best friend Ari's death, Milo returns to school, only to find himself drawn into a dangerous web of secrets involving the school's most popular student, Liam, who is accused of murdering Ari.

Amelia Applebaum thinks she is in love with Walter Holland, a moderately famous, chaotically bisexual YouTuber, so she drags her friends, including newly single, always-cynical, guitar-toting best friend Natalie, on a road trip to meet Walter.

The past three years have been tough for Lucifer's Creek, Arkansas, a small town quietly tucked away in the Ozark mountains. More than two dozen people have disappeared on the local hiking trails; there one moment, gone the next, not a trace left behind, until their buried bodies are discovered. 17-year-old Dovie doesn't believe in magic even though she comes from a long line of women who can hear the bones of the dead sing, and for the past few years the bones have been crooning nonstop, calling out to Dovie to dig them up. Dovie doesn't believe her best friend Lo when he tells her he is being haunted by dark shadows. The shadows follow him everywhere. He soon learns they're the murdered hikers and they want answers. But the truth of their deaths isn't buried with their bones; it's hidden somewhere deep in the hills. And Lo and Dovie must unearth it before anyone else is killed.

When a high school tarot reader's latest client goes missing after a troubling reading, she must apply everything she has learned from her private investigator mother to solve a case of her own