When twelve-year-old cousins Delia and Coop stumble into their first real case in the small Southern town of Millhaven, Georgia, they discover something their retired-detective grandfather has known for decades: a suspect can rehearse their alibi a hundred times, but they can never rehearse the laws of science.
THE TELL is a middle grade interactive mystery collection for readers ages 8 to 12. Each chapter presents a self-contained case built around a single observable scientific principle, the kind readers can test in their own kitchen or backyard. Before Delia and Coop reveal the answer, readers are invited to spot the tell themselves. Can you catch what the suspect got wrong?
Delia brings the science. She sees the world in data points, patterns, and physical evidence, and her notebook pages walk readers through the reasoning step by step. Coop brings the people skills. He reads body language, tone, and behavior the way other kids read box scores, and his observations give the cousins the human half of every puzzle. Together, they make a detective team built for the way real cases actually work: science and instinct, evidence and empathy. Book 1 of The Millhaven Investigators series.
Includes: Delia's Notebook science callouts, Coop's behavioral observation sidebars, a Detective's Glossary, and a Detective's Workbook with case files for readers to complete as they investigate alongside the cousins.
Perfect for fans of Encyclopedia Brown, Big Nate, and the I Survived series. Supports STEM literacy and social-emotional learning in a format designed for reluctant and advanced readers alike.
