As a new librarian, one of my jobs was to put together collections for teachers to use to supplement their curricula. Each fall, every elementary school teacher had the same lesson: apples and pumpkins.
So as the summer draws to a close, it seemed appropriate to read a middle-grade novel about apples, Peeled by Newbery Honoree Joan Bauer!! The cover, the setting, even some of the names are apple-y!
Hildy, a journalist for the high school newspaper The Core, yearns for a good story to cover and jumps right in when the Queen of the Apple Blossom Festival comes down with a mysterious case of food poisoning. While working on the food poisoning story, Hildy comes across an even bigger case—a potentially haunted house. As Hildy expands her investigation, the mystery touches nearly everyone in Banesville, NY.
I found some of the plot twists far-fetched, but Hildy is a strong, endearing female character. Also important to note is that this is a wholesome story. It’s available as an audiobook and would make a good family listen.