OXBOW ISLAND GANG: WINTER CROWS

In this third installment of Chalmers’ middle-grade series, youngsters investigate thievery and avian deaths during a winter storm.

Eleven-year-old Berend “Bear” Houtman looks forward to a week on Oxbow Island in Maine—notwithstanding the impending blizzard—because it means spending more time with his beloved grandmother Sally Parker and tween friend Olivia Anaya. Unsurprisingly, the vicious December storm buries the island in three feet of snow and knocks out power, turning a simple trip to a local store into an arduous expedition. This doesn’t stop Olivia, however, from going ahead with a planned fundraiser at a local restaurant.She hopes to raise money for more accessible trails for such townsfolk as her dad, Victor, who’s used a wheelchair since suffering a major injury six years ago. The fundraiser gets a good turnout of townsfolk, who fill a giant pickle jar with donations, but later that night, the jar mysteriously disappears. Around the same time, Bear runs across dead crows in the area and suspects that someone is purposely killing them. He’s determined to track down the perpetrator while also helping Olivia hunt for the donations thief. Bear has a suspect in mind in each case but needs to find solid proof before he heads back home to Massachusetts. The snowy setting in Chalmers’ book sets an irresistible mood, and as characters trudge through snow and wrap themselves in quilts, readers may feel compelled to slip on an extra pair of socks themselves. As the author sublimely writes, “With each gust of wind, sparkly snow drifted from the tree branches onto their heads.” Bear is immensely likable, even when whip-smart Sally and Olivia set him straight after he leaps to conclusions. The mystery is sound, although the kids do little in the way of piecing together clues. The story perfectly captures a close-knit community, as do Hogan’s fine black-and-white illustrations, which depict such things as a cozy woodstove, surrounding woods, and handwritten notes on storefronts.

A remarkable cast and pleasantly snowy backdrop elevate this quiet mystery.