"The Mystery of the Radcliffe Riddle" by Taryn Souders is a captivating adventure that weaves together elements of mystery, treasure hunting, and friendship, earning it a solid four stars in my book. The narrative unfolds when Grady and his father unexpectedly inherit a seemingly mundane 300-year-old piece of cloth from the eccentric Eudora "Kooky" Klinch. Disappointment quickly turns to intrigue as they discover a hidden treasure map within the fabric.

What sets this story apart is the author's ability to blend suspense with humor, creating a delightful reading experience. The characters, particularly Grady and his eclectic group of friends – Thad, Clemmie, and the lovable town dog Ophelia – are well-developed and endearing. Their camaraderie adds depth to the plot, making the journey to solve the riddles and find the treasure even more enjoyable.

The plot takes an unexpected turn when Grady realizes he's not the only one aware of the treasure map. The inclusion of a break-in at Grady's house and the mysterious incident involving the local antiques expert inject a thrilling dose of danger into the storyline. This twist elevates the stakes, keeping readers on the edge of their seats.

Souders' writing style is engaging and accessible, making it suitable for a wide range of readers. The incorporation of riddles and clues within the narrative adds an interactive element, inviting readers to participate in solving the mystery alongside the characters.

While the premise may seem familiar, the execution and the author's ability to balance suspense, humor, and danger make "The Mystery of the Radcliffe Riddle" a standout in the genre. It's a well-crafted tale that not only entertains but also leaves room for themes of bravery, loyalty, and the thrill of discovery.

In conclusion, Taryn Souders delivers an exciting and well-rounded mystery adventure that is sure to captivate readers of all ages. "The Mystery of the Radcliffe Riddle" is a delightful journey filled with unexpected twists, charming characters, and the timeless allure of a treasure hunt.

This was such a fun mystery with the perfect amount of history intertwined! The historical aspects make for really great conversation while reading this aloud to my middle schoolers!

Taryn Souders writes the best cozy mysteries that my students cannot get enough of!

This was a really cute and fun read. I will definitely be getting a copy to put into my classroom. The book has well developed characters that are interesting, and the setting adds to the overall plot which is great especially when wanting to get students to read how setting can impact a story.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this great ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Souders never misses. Her works are an instant buy for a middle school library. I hope your horror/thriller readers love this one.

The Mystery of the Radcliffe Riddle was an enjoyable and entertaining middle grade book. I had such a fun time reading this story.

This book felt like a cozy mystery for a middle grade audience. Even though this book is written for a middle grade age group, I would recommend this book for teens and adults as well. The mystery was intriguing, the characters were adorable, and the story was well written.

I definitely recommend this book to lovers of cozy mysteries and middle grade fiction. I look forward to reading more from this author.

4/5 stars

The story unfolds when Grady learns that Eudora Klinch has passed away and left something in her will for him. However, it turns out to be an old piece of needlework cloth that leaves Grady and his dad disappointed, especially when they needed the money most. Grady doesn’t let himself be disappointed for too long as he sees a treasure map with riddles and clues. Alongside his friends, Thad and Clemmie they set out to look for the treasure, but they’re not the only ones.

This was such a fun and intriguing story! There were a lot of themes such as loss, friendship, family, trust, ambition, hope and so many more that were interwoven so beautifully into the story. The pacing of the story was great and there was never a dull moment. The story keeps moving and events keep happening, gradually progressing the story. There is also quite a bit of history and knowledge scattered throughout this book. From Thad swearing the names of architects to the history behind the War of Jenkin’s Ear, there is knowledge hidden within the words.

I enjoyed the depiction of relationships in this story. Grady and his dad are in a difficult spot after the passing of his mother. They are having a difficult time communicating with each other so there is a distance but there is also a level of unsaid understanding and care between the two. I enjoyed how this distance didn’t magically disappear but was never really there in the first place. The trio friends are absolutely the best. They are fun, understanding and supportive of each other and they really balance each other’s weaknesses out.

I enjoyed the mystery in this story. I honestly couldn’t predict the ending and thought it was someone else as well as had almost lost hope in there being any treasure. But I was thoroughly surprised at the end and grateful that all the loose ends closed cleanly. The mystery builds cleanly and is broad enough to have many potential solutions but also specific enough to have the real clue.

Overall, this was a wonderfully written mystery story with strong themes of family and friends. This would have been a five star read for me but I couldn’t get over calling an older individual who lives alone and is losing their memory “Kooky”. I always believe in not judging people or name calling them by their looks and what they do, but by understanding and accepting them for who they are. Besides that, this book is definitely a great read and recommended!

I read this to my niece every night I babysat her and we both really enjoyed it! A nice children mystery that the parent/adult will also enjoy reading.

The Mystery of the Radcliffe Riddle is a quirky and fun mystery targeted for 8-12 year olds! I have recently started trying to read more books targeted to this age group as my nephew is an ever growing lover of books and I want to be able to talk stories with him.

This book focuses on a trio of young friends that have strong ties to each other but one of them, Grady, is going to have to move to another city due to his father's financial issues. Before he moves though, he and his friends find what seems to a treasure map and that just might save him from having to move!

I really enjoyed this book and will recommend to my nephew and others his age.

"The Mystery of the Radcliffe Riddle" is a charming and captivating children's mystery book that offers a blend of puzzle-solving, adventure, and friendship. Taryn Souders' gift for storytelling shines through in this heartfelt tale, making it an ideal choice for young readers who enjoy mysteries and tales of camaraderie. Whether they are seeking an engaging mystery or a heartwarming adventure, young readers are sure to find delight in Grady's quest for treasure.

When he and his Dad received the most astonishing news that changed their lives, Grady became fixated on the centuries-old treasure. He believed if he could find it would save him and his Dad from losing their home.
Along with his friends Clemmie and Thad, they went treasure hunting and unwittingly found more than they expected. This story was fun and exciting, and also captivating, engaging, exciting, and intriguing.

“But whether you’re a half-full or half-empty type of person isn’t important.” She leaned closer to me. “What’s important to remember the glass is refillable.”

Like a perfect glass of cool, summer lemonade, The Mystery of the Radcliffe Riddle examines real pains in life, while stirring in the sweetness of friendship and the freshness of wisdom. Taryn Souders refills our glasses with an exciting mix of southern charm, hot summer days, and childhood escapades in her latest middle grade novel. Sure to be another hit, Radcliffe brings each young-at-heart reader a murder mystery with all the mischief expected of a small town. So pull up a porch swing and take a sip of all that Souders has to offer in this delightful sleuthing adventure. You’re cup will runneth over…

The Mystery of the Radcliffe Riddle introduces readers to Grady and his father. Things have been tough for the pair since Grady's mom died. His dad has been distant and financial problems are looming large over their heads. Grady unexpectedly inherits a mysterious cross-stitched sampler after the death of one of his town’s eccentric residents. His dad dismisses it as junk, but a note with the sampler leads Grady to believe it is actually a treasure map. With his dad needing money to save their house from foreclosure, Grady teams up with his two best friends to solve the puzzle in the sampler. He soon finds they're not the only one looking for the treasure & someone is willing to murder to get it!

The book features great characters and a well-developed, quirky small town setting that plays an important role in the story. I've had many requests from upper elementary age readers for murder mysteries and I've had a hard time finding good ones for them. With its mix of adventure, history, and intrigue, I think this book will be perfect for my school's readers!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book to read and review.

This is a cute middle grade mystery set in small town Georgia.

Grady, Thad and Clemmie are best friends. Grady lives with his dad in a trailer. His mom passed away a couple of years ago, and they have had trouble communicating since then. Despite working hard, Grady and his dad are about to lose their home to foreclosure. He can't imagine having to leave his best friends.

When eccentric "Kooky" Eudora Klinch dies, Grady's dad finds out his late wife was distantly related to her, and they've inherited... a sampler. But the kids realize it is a treasure map, full of clues, and spend their summer searching for the treasure they're sure Eudora had been searching for herself before her death.

While there are quite a few "group of kids searching for treasure and solving an old mystery" books, this one keeps it fresh with interesting secondary characters and Grady's tragic past. This is a good mystery for kids, with the requisite happy ending. Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book.

Taryn Souders had me from the first line. “Eudora Klinch is dead.” It was engaging and mysterious from the first page. And my Nancy-Drew-obsessed kiddo is sure to love it. If you have a mystery-loving kid, you’ll want to pick this one up.

This may be a fun read-aloud for homeschooling families learning about American History (Shh! I’ve already said too much), particularly if you’re a Classical Conversations family going into Cycle 3. It’s not great for younger or sensitive kiddos though since there is mention of people dying, especially parents and children. All discussion of violence is mild. Some peril for the main characters but almost all of the deaths are people the reader doesn’t connect with much.

It’s clean without any agenda or romance. Though it’s not specifically mentioning Christ, there is mention of the pastor and church and Grady’s dad does struggle with his faith but the book ends on an encouraging note here. It would lead to great conversation, particularly with the recommended age.

Wow! This book was absolutely incredible! Pulled me into the story right away! There were lots of twist and turns which kept me surprised throughout the entire book. I couldn’t predict who the “thief” was and I couldn’t put the book down till I found out. I was shocked by the “bad guy” reveal! The ending made me so happy for the main characters too! I think this is a great book for 5th graders and up!

Thanks to #netgalley for allowing me to have this copy!

#themysteryoftheradclifferiddle #kidsbooks#bookreview #netgalley #tarynsouders #sourcebookskids

The Mystery of the Radcliffe Riddle by Taryn Souders is an excellent story that hits a lot of the targets of middle grade problems and a fun mystery to solve besides. Grady and his father are about to lose their home when a chance of a treasure, if he can just find it, will solve the problem. With the help of his two friends Thad and Clemmie, the three, with the help of the townspeople, search for the treasure. I would recommend this to all readers but especially children.

We all enjoyed this exciting suspenseful novel. It was suitable to read, or be read by, the entire family. We will certainly seek out more books by this author.

The Mystery of the Radcliffe Riddle is a suspenseful, action-adventure tale. It has drama, mystery, crime, suspense, thrills and murder mixed with a little history. It also has a bit of a “Goonies” feel to it.

The characters are diverse, well composed and the interplay is superb. “Kooky” Klinch, and Ophelia add little bits of unique characteristics to the tale. The plot is easy to follow with plenty of twists and turns.

The War of Jenkins’s Ear features heavily in this book. I must admit, I had never heard of this particular war and so I did some research and learned some interesting history.

Although the book is advertised for reading ages 8-12, I found this book entertaining and enlightening for all ages. Anyone with a little bit of kid left in them will enjoy this book. I highly recommend this book.

Sometimes nothing goes right. Your mother dies. Your father becomes distant and uncommunicative. You have to move out of your home and into a trailer on the edge of town. Then you get the news that you will have to leave even that house because there isn't enough money to pay the bills. That means moving out of town and leaving your school and your best friends. Life just isn't fair.

That is where Grady finds himself as this story begins. He knows that things have been tough since his mother's death, but then his dad breaks the news about the upcoming move in search of better earning power for his job. Grady thinks their troubles may be over when the town's strange cat lady leaves them a bequest - but it is only an old sewing sampler and not valuable enough to help. After rumors start that there is a treasure that same lady was searching for before her death, Grady gets the idea to find it and save the day for himself and his dad.

Cryptic clues, faithful friends, local legends, a family dealing with the grief of a lost loved one, and a mysterious figure who will stop at nothing to get to the treasure first - this middle grade book packs it all in. A good match for readers who enjoy mysteries and small town communities. I especially enjoyed the way historical details were woven into the story of the missing treasure.

Things are not looking great for Grady - he is pretty sure he and his dad will have to move as the bank is about to foreclose on their house. However, he gets hope when he inherits a mysterious cross-stitch sampler from the local eccentric after she passes away. Grady then embarks on a treasure hunt with his best friends Clemmie and Thad.

This was overall a solid book. I think there could have been more mystery and puzzles throughout to really engage the reader more. Like the cross-stitch could've lead to another clue, etc. Right now, there was a lot of packing and family things between clues and the hunt, which made parts of it slower for me.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.