What We Saw: A Thriller

Abbi and Skylar decide to bike to the edge of their town, just to see what’s there. On the way they are sidetracked by a dead-end street in a rough part of town where they find a secret treehouse, perfectly hidden in the trees. When they see a small gray car arrive, their interest is piqued. They watch the pretty woman get into a large black SUV and their minds start racing. Maybe it’s a mystery they can solve, like Nancy Drew.

They take notes, noticing that the visits are on Thursdays, and take pictures of the cars and license plates. When a favorite teacher goes missing, Abbi thinks she might have information, but telling the police will mean revealing to her mother that she and Skylar have been hanging out in scary places. Can Abbi help her teacher and bravely face the consequences?

Hahn has taken a detour from supernatural horror and created a murder mystery perfect for middle grade readers who love April Henry and Ally Carter. Abbi’s reservations about telling and fear of what may happen are realistic and true. A sluggish start building up Abbi’s character leads to a nail-biting mystery that can’t be put down.