I just can't get enough of Gillian McDunn books! Her writing and her characters speak to me! When I recommend them to kids, they come back reporting that they read and loved them too! (Sometimes, you recommend a book and a kid takes it but doesn't feel it like you do. Not the case with these!) I am ready to recommend this one when it comes out and I will also be putting it up for suggestion for our district's next Battle of the Books list. This one gives me Only Murders in The Building vibes but for middle grade readers. The characters are certainly quirky, unique and interesting! The building itself is fun! I know kids will love the idea of kids being the ones who are investigating the mystery and podcasting about it. A great blend of everything I love about mysteries and realistic fiction. Definitely plan to order for my school library.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Gillian McDunn, and the publisher of the book for the eARC copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Simon's family is always moving and looking for their next adventure! Simon loves adventure but is also ready to put their van "Vincent Van Go" in a more permanent spot. Simon is happy when his family ends up in Rigsby at the Tangerine Pines apartments and is determined to make it their forever home. Soon though, a priceless necklace is stolen and Simon's parents are worried about the safety of their new home. Simon does not want to move again so he is determined to find the missing necklace before it is too late. With the help of new friend/pet-sitter/podcaster, Amaya, will they be able to find the missing necklace?

I have had the privilege of seeing Ms. McDunn not only speak in person but also to have read all of her books. They are all wonderful middle grade novels and "Trouble at the Tangerine" did not disappoint either.
This novel is a wonderful and fast paced mystery that will keep you guessing the whole time. There is also an amazing sounding pancake restaurant that I am very sad it not a real place! Simon and Amaya are wonderful characters that deal with issues/situations that all kids face! I cannot wait to buy a physical copy to add to my Gillian McDunn collection!

Simon Hyde's parents love life on the road and are always looking for their next adventure. They both have jobs that can be done remotely, and also have a social media presence called Hydes Go Seek about the family's travels. This means that Simon is always the new kid at school and can't really make lasting friendships, and while he does pretty well, it's tiring. In a leg cast after an incident at his last school, Simon is determined to make his family's move to Rigsby their last. Things don't start out too smoothly at the Tangerine Pines apartment building, since the superintendent, Oscar, gets mad at Simon for propping a door open and also because the family has mail that preceded them. Not only that, but on their very first day, one of the residents has a valuable family necklace stolen during a fire alarm! Ginger, whom Simon had met before the alarm went off, seemed fun and quirky, but is now very upset about the missing necklace. She also has a very cute rescue dog, Bianca, who is expecting puppies. Simon has wanted a dog, but moving and sometimes living in their van, Vincent Van Gogh, makes this impossible. Another neighbor, Amaya, is just Simon's age and suggests that the two investigate the theft so she can record about it for her podcast. She also pet sits, and is always in and out of the building. Investigating helps Simon get to know his neighbors, including Mrs. Kobayashi, who is a retired detective! When he's not investigating, Simon is trying to convince his parents that Rigsby is a great place to be, but his father is itching to move on, and is talking about taking an entire year on the road! Since he has also met Calvin and started to learn how to throw Frisbees with him, Simon really wants to get his parents to stay. When another piece of jewelry goes missing, Simon knows he has to get to the bottom of things, especially since someone seems to be breaking into other apartments and moving things around, even if nothing is being stolen. Will he and Amaya be able to figure things out?
Strengths: Growing up, I was enthralled by books set in city apartment buildings, because they seemed so exotic! This reminded me a little of Marks' A Soft Place to Land or Graf and Patterson's Minerva Keene's Detective Club, and I loved the descriptions of the apartment building and its environs, even the shiny new building next door that blocked Ginger's view of the park. I'd also love to see more books about children with slightly unusual living arrangements, like Goeble's Alpaca My Bags or Hawes' Big Rig. Simon is a great character, and his attempts to sway his parents into staying in one place are very well thought out. He also gets some good information from Mrs. Kobayashi about talking to his parents. The minor characters are well developed, and Oscar is a fun addition.
Weaknesses: The mystery of the missing necklace wasn't that strong, but for me, that wasn't really the point of the book! I did want to know more about Amaya's living arrangement, and the building next door to the apartment building.
What I really think: This is much more up beat than When See Becomes Sky (2023), These Unlucky Stars (2021) and Caterpillar Summer (2019), and even happier than Honestly Elliot (2022), or The Queen Bee and Me (2020). I'd love to see McDunn tackle realistic middle grade problems with more humor and perhaps some mystery, because those are the type of books my students love, and they are hard to find!