Two young girls from different backgrounds blend together to make this a delightful read.

This is the beginning of what will surely be a great middle grade mystery series. Lou Lou and Pea are each colorful characters with amusing interests and unusual hobbies. They have strong powers of perception as well and are great conversationalists and highly observant. Add it all together and you have a great detective team. The mysteries that they attempt to solve are child-friendly, though they lack none of the suspense that a more dangerous crime might involve.

It was a lot of fun to follow along in their lighthearted detective work. Additionally, I liked that the story was so much more than a detective story. Lou Lou and Pea are fully fleshed out characters whose lives involve more than simply fleshing out clues. They live in a neighborhood rich with culture, as demonstrated at numerous points in the story, from murals throughout the neighborhood, to the jazz musician they go to see, to the art class they attend to build masks for an upcoming community celebration, to the mere fact that Lou Lou is attempting to learn to speak Spanish throughout the book.

Honestly, this book reminded me of something that Lilian Jackson Braun would have written if she'd focused on the middle grade audience. The book is charming and exciting, the perfect mix, really. I look forward to the next installment.