Octobia May has lived with her independent, unmarried aunt for two years. Once sickly and overprotected, Octobia has thrived at Aunt Shuma’s boarding house, where’s she’s had the freedom to be herself. She is doted on by the boarders, most of whom are older African Americans, but even Aunt Shuma agrees it might be time to reign in Octobia’s overactive imagination when her niece starts spying on Mr. Davenport. Octobia, a lover of mystery stories, is convinced the younger man is a vampire, because he only goes out at night (she eats garlic for protection). The truth, surprisingly, turns out to be something more sinister. Octobia, precocious and irrepressible, uncovers a real mystery and then must convince adults — and even her best friend — to believe her. Octobia is a character in the spirit of the young detectives of the mid-twentieth- century literature, when this story is set. And like the mysteries Octobia herself loves to read, the plot of this novel stretches credibility at times, ending with an improbable escape from gun-wielding danger. But it also skillfully weaves in social history, especially about racism but also gender and economics before, during, and after World War II, all of which inform the mystery itself, and the lives of the characters. Mr. Davenport, it turns out, is a complicated scoundrel. And Octobia is his worthy foil. (Ages 9–13)

Bestselling and award-winning author, Sharon G. Flake, delivers a mystery set in the 1950s that eerily blends history, race, culture, and family.

Octobia May is girl filled with questions. Her heart condition makes her special - and, some folks would argue, gives this ten-year-old powers that make her a "wise soul." Thank goodness for Auntie, who convinces Octobia's parents to let her live in her boarding house that is filled with old folks. That's when trouble, and excitement, and wonder begin. Auntie is non-traditional. She's unmarried and has plans to purchase other boarding homes and hotels. At a time when children, and especially girls, are "seen, not heard," Auntie allows Octobia May the freedom and expression of an adult. When Octobia starts to question the folks in her world, an adventure and a mystery unfold that beg some troubling questions: Who is black and who is "passing" for white? What happens when a vibrant African American community must face its own racism?