With her new crew by her side, Ada finds uplifting community in her church youth group … and she leads her friends in taking on a highly personal mystery involving Johann’s mother that will test Ada’s—and readers’—detective skills and lead to unexpected developments. Ada is an engaging, relatable protagonist who works at sleuthing, training herself in observation and striving to work out puzzles of faith and souls. Pietzsch pays touching attention to the other mysteries of growing up, like bullies, loneliness, and the persistent fear, shared by Ada,“They were probably laughing and making weird faces behind my back.”

A story of family, friendship, and finding strength in yourself through faith, Finders of The Armor will appeal to young Christian readers who relish working out clues, making sense of the complexities of relationships, and all the work that goes into putting on a play. Pietzsch writes with welcome warmth about issues of self esteem, of uncovering principles of faith, and applying them in a tangible way.

Takeaway: Heartfelt, relatable, faith-based middle grade mystery series starter.

Comparable Titles: Colleen Coble’s Rock Harbor Search & Rescue series, Amanda Cleary Eastep’s Tree Street kids series.

Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: B
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-