The Wig in the Window by Kristen Kittscher

The Wig in the Window by Kristen Kittscher

My rating: ★★★★☆

A copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

The Wig in the Window is an endearing children's mystery from Kristen Kittscher. In the story, best friends Sophie Young and Grace Yang are playing spy games in their neighborhood when they catch their school counselor, Dr. Agford, seemingly murder someone... Except that's not what they saw at all, as they find when Sophie faces punishment for calling 9-1-1 for the apparent non-emergency. But the mistake entrenches Sophie, Grace, and Sophie's classmate Trista in a potentially life-threatening mystery.

I'm pleased to say that The Wig in the Window really worked for me, going a long way to remind me exactly why I so enjoy reading MG. The characters are charmingly written and true to their age (~12) without being bogged down by the melodramatic romantic angst that ruins most YA works for me. Sophie, Grace, and Trista each experience real issues in a believable way, even as extraordinary fictional circumstances go on around them; they navigate school, friendship, and early puberty while dealing with the mysterious Agford A-plot, and Kittscher manages to make both interesting.

As far as the plot goes, it was intriguing. I could have done without the second-to-last twist, as I felt it gave the story a bit of ending fatigue, but all in all, it was definitely a story that I enjoyed and would recommend to those readers who enjoy MG and mysteries.

I look forward to reading more from Kittscher in the future.