The Parker InheritanceBy Varian Johnson
Twelve-year-old Candice has been forced to move to Lambert, South Carolina from her home in Atlanta. She is bored and unhappy. But when she discovers a mysterious letter waiting for her in her grandmother’s attic, she begins to investigate.
The letter describes the Washingtons, an African American family who was driven out of town in 1957. The letter’s author, James Parker, claims to have hidden a fortune somewhere in town. He has wrapped a puzzle into the story of the Washingtons and the person who solves the puzzle will find his fortune.
Candice knows that her grandmother, Abigail, tried, and failed, to solve the puzzle. Believing James Parker’s fortune to be buried under the tennis courts, she had them dug up. But the treasure wasn’t there, and Abigail was fired from her job because of her actions. For the rest of her life, Abigail was known as a crazy woman who dug up the tennis courts. But Candice knows her grandmother was not crazy. And now Abigail has left the puzzle for Candice to solve.
Candice loves puzzles and mysteries, but she doesn’t know if she can solve this one on her own. Luckily, she meets Brandon from across the street and the two of them spend the summer working on the mystery. As they dig up information on the Washington family, Candice and Brandon also learn about the racist history of the American south. They are shocked by the injustice, but also learn how far they have come.
The great thing about this book is that it combines puzzles and mysteries with historical fiction. These are two of my favourite genres! It also touches on being bullied, and learning to accept people for who they are. Overall a great book!