Surfside girls is adorable! My 9 year old loved this! It had beautiful illustrations! I loved that it addressed the coral reef. It also had an element of mystery. Definitely recommend for ages 8-12!

This was a book I have been anxiously awaiting after having read the first two books in the series with such delight. The cherry on top of my delight was the inclusion of African pygmy hedgehogs in the story. I did not even notice the hedgehogs on the cover! I ADORE hedgehogs after owning one over 20 years ago. They are so adorably cute, but certainly not at all cuddly as depicted in the story without some sturdy gloves for handling.

BFF surf girls Sam and Jade discover the prickle of hedgehogs stranded on a rock while surfing one day at Danger Point. How in the world did they get there? Knowing that the tide was soon to come in, they had no choice but to grab the hedgehogs, put them on their surfboard and get back to land. To add to the mystery, a ring-tailed creature has been known to steal food and fruits, mango in particular. Somehow the ring-tailed creature and hedgehogs are connected and the surfside girls feel it’s their duty to untangle the clues that lead them to Santa Marguerita Island.

Along with the lovely illustrations and enchanting story are the canon ghost characters as seen in the previous books with a potential romance blossoming for both girls. This is a welcoming summertime story that has been perfect reading for these cold, wintry days. I look forward to more Surfside Girls!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy.

Fun and cute! A nice book for adventorous girls and boys. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for this free eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is the third book in the Surfside Girls graphic novel series. I really enjoyed the first two books, and this one is just as fun and adorable. Sam & Jade are back at it with their detective skills and crazy adventures. They rescue some out of place hedgehogs that are stranded on a rock at the reef. They know that type of animal is not allowed on their island are puzzled as to where they came from. They start seeing other animals around that shouldn't be there and start doing some sleuthing. They discover that someone must be smuggling exotic animals and somehow the animals got loose. It was fun following them along their adventure to solve this mystery. The graphics are colorful and cute.

Thank you NetGalley & author for an ARC of this book. #SurfsideGirlsTheClueintheReef #NetGalley

Another mystery has come to Surfside and Sam and Jade are determined to get to the bottom of it. Someone is smuggling exotic pets and they will need a lot of help to find out who it is. This series brings me a lot of nostalgia of early 90's Scooby Doo, there's mysteries, ghosts, attempts to trap the bad guys, surprise helpers, and the true bad guy always surprises me. I will be recommending this series to readers looking for a light, wholesome mystery.

These graphic novels are just so cute and colourful. I love following the girls on the many adventures they go on. The graphics are so colourful and I love them. Such a cute and easy to read graphic novel.

Like mysteries, teenage surfers on a small island, and ghosts. This book has some great elements, from solving a local mystery to hanging out with friends alive and supernatural. The sleuthing team is out to find out to find out how some cute animals ended up out on the reef.

This December (2024) we’re ridin’ the waves with the girls. The Surfside girls! Kim Dwinell teams up with Top Shelf Productions for the third book in the Surfside Girls series; The Surfside Girls: The Clue In The Reef. This beautifully illustrated graphic novel follows best friends Miss Jade and Miss Samantha, aka Sam, on another journey and this one takes them out of their home territory. Now I will say some big issues are being addressed in this one. A few trigger warnings include animal and child endangerment. In this new work we’re having another summer full of mystery and weirdness in Surfside, CA, while learning more ways of how to use the scientific method to our advantage to hunt down the bad guys. In this adventurous addition to the series we catch a glimpse at some wonderful emotional growth and development from Jade and seeing more emotional attachment between Sam and Robert. I definitely give this one 4 out of 5 dolphins. The only major weakness of the book is that it is not a stand alone in the series. If you are not familiar with the previous two books, Surfside Girls: The Secret of Danger Point and Surfside Girls: The Mystery at the Old Rancho, a lot of references to people, places, and events might not make sense. For me that just means getting the entire series for the coming up holiday season!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so fun and adorable. The graphics in this book are super cute and really add a lot to the story. The messaging in this book is great and it will make for a great read for kids.

Surfing detectives, Sam and Jade are in their third adventure in the series, but you don’t have to have read the other two books to get into this. You are quickly brought up to speed on what the newest mystery is, that of exotic animals showing up in their beach town of Danger Point.


Hedgehogs are not native to California, and in fact, are forbidden to be imported. So, whomever wanted them knew that they would have to smuggle them in. Despite the girls having obligations to help out at their both at the “Surfside Days” festival, they still find time to pick up clues as to where the smugglers may have come from, and how to find who is doing the job.


There are things that you hope your kids would never do, but then, what is a good adventure when there is danger. Plus the girls see ghosts, which they met in earlier adventures.


Another fun addition to the series. Very enjoyable and believable. I liked how the ghost that is love with her said that sometimes you have to just relax and have the time to wait for some of the answers to come to you.


Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book is coming out the 10th of December 2024.