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Middle Grade Sidekick Super Review: The Case of the Scarlet Snakebite (2026) by Christyne Morrell
- 17 hours ago
- 6 min read
The Basics
Page Length: 272
Audiobook Length: ~6 hours
Grade Reading Level: 5+
Target Audience Age: 10-13
Goodreads Score: 4.33 out of 5
Buy it HERE
Setting: Contemporary Small-Town Bed and Breakfast, The Cozy Koi
Genre: Middle Grade Mystery
Topics: Crime, Kid Sleuths, Jewels, Family Secrets, Divorce, Small-town, Libraries, Reading
Plot: Amber Adler is a 12-year-old sleuth whose father has inspired her love of mysteries. She is obsessed with Agatha Christie novels and spends much of her time searching for mysteries in her own life to solve. Her mother’s bed-and-breakfast, the Cozy Koi, is the perfect setting for this kind of sleuthing, although Amber’s curiosity sometimes leads to false accusations—and less-than-happy guests.
When the Willoughbys, a famously wealthy family, book the Cozy Koi for a reunion, Amber is strictly forbidden from sleuthing. The future of the bed-and-breakfast depends on everything going smoothly. Despite this, Amber soon finds herself pulled into her biggest mystery yet. Strange phone calls, tense family dynamics, and siblings with possible motives against their wealthy father all raise suspicion. Then, a priceless jewel—the Scarlet Snakebite—goes missing, stolen from the family patriarch, E.B. Willoughby. The gem is worth millions.
To Amber’s surprise, E.B. hires her to solve the case, making this her first real investigation. As she follows the clues and pieces together the evidence, Amber is forced to confront some difficult truths. Her list of suspects begins to include people she cares about. Is solving the mystery really worth the cost? And with her mother warning her to stay out of it, Amber must decide how far she is willing to go. Can she crack the case—and will her mother’s bed-and-breakfast survive the fallout from this very public crime?
Themes: Family loyalty, danger in quick judgments, learning from mistakes, confidence in conviction, truth vs. suspicion, taking responsibility for your actions
You might like this book if you like:
Agatha Christie novels, Nancy Drew, or The Hardy Boys
Playing detective games/logic puzzles
Doing cartwheels :)
Books like: Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library, Sammy Keyes series, Midnight at the Barclay Hotel, The Great Shelby Holmes, Spy School
Shows like: Gravity Falls, Secrets of Sulphur Springs, Carmen Sandiego, Scooby Doo
Movies like Enola Holmes, Ace Ventura,
Books/movies/shows like: The Mysterious Benedict Society, Harriet the Spy, Clue, Murder on the Orient Express, Goosebumps
Other books written by this author: Trex, Kingdom of Secrets, The Curse of the Dead Man's Diamond; Abra, Cadabra & Bob
Teaching The Case of the Scarlet Snakebite in Class
Content
Language: None
Sex/Romance: None
Violence/Scariness: The protagonist believes a rich guest may be in danger of being murdered; this assumption turns out to be false. There is an investigation into a stolen jewel, so high stakes mystery but no real violence.
Drinking/Smoking/Drugs: Adults drink champagne at a cocktail party. A character drugs another to put them to sleep.
Class Novel-ability:
This could be a strong class novel selection. The content is appropriate, and the story is interesting and clever enough to engage a wide audience. It is funny and entertaining, and its shorter length makes it manageable for classroom use.
The book also provides many opportunities to teach writing, especially voice, as well as analyzing characters and their motives. It would lend itself well to interactive classroom discussions that mirror a mystery, such as creating character webs and piecing together plot points. Overall, this book offers a highly engaging way to teach key reading standards.
The Star Qualities
This book is genuinely funny, with a protagonist whose voice and perspective are especially engaging compared to other middle-grade novels. She is one of the most enjoyable characters I’ve read in a long time. The storytelling is consistently humorous, making it a book that would easily hook a wide range of readers. It has the kind of appeal that can help foster the love of reading we hope to instill in students.
The protagonist is a particularly strong and memorable character. She is clever and curious, always looking for puzzles to solve—sometimes even inventing them to entertain herself. Her personality is quirky and unique: she does cartwheels to get her brain moving, befriends an older librarian, and is deeply obsessed with Agatha Christie novels at a young age. At the same time, she is very relatable. She often jumps to conclusions, makes mistakes, and gets herself into trouble. She also struggles with the recent divorce of her parents, holding onto unrealistic hopes that she can bring her family back together. Despite this, she works to fix her mistakes, shows deep loyalty, and remains determined. Altogether, she feels authentic—like a character many students will recognize themselves in.
This book is an excellent choice for reluctant readers. It is short, fast-paced, and highly engaging. The mystery structure creates a strong sense of curiosity, motivating readers to keep going in order to uncover what really happened. Its humor and quick pacing further support sustained interest. For some students, this could be one of the first books they read from beginning to end, especially if they have previously struggled to finish a novel.
Book Talk Read Aloud Section
If you have the physical book, read the prologue (pages 1-2).
If you don't, read the same pages in the Kindle reading sample here.
"Reading Like a Writer" Mentor Texts
This passage uses a variety of figurative language, including imagery, personification, and metaphor. It also features short, fragmented sentences that build tension and control the pacing. The dramatic countdown structure contributes to the dark, suspenseful mood, while the final sentence provides a strong and striking conclusion. All of these elements work together to create an ominous tone that hooks the reader--and all are worthwhile moves for students to imitate.
This book features many strong chapter openers, and this is just one example. I especially like how the author uses a text message format to create a dramatic opening. It not only visually resembles a real text message, but the language also reflects how one would actually write in that form. It captures the voice of a panicked 12-year-old sending an urgent message to their dad. I would love to see how students imitate this in their own writing!
This passage features a variety of effective writing techniques for students to learn from, including internal dialogue, repetition, personification, rhetorical questions, and simile. It also builds suspense through careful pacing and ends with a dramatic reveal.
Sentences for Combining and Imitation
Sentence sets for combining:
"I stand in the center of the lobby and inhale the Koi’s trademark scent–a mix of wood polish, fresh bread, and stale coffee, with a dash of moldy furniture." (The Case of the Scarlet Snakebite, p. 178)
I stand in the center of the lobby.
I inhale the Koi's trademark scent.
The scent is a mix of things.
It's wood polish.
It's fresh bread.
It's stale coffee.
It's a dash of moldy furniture.
"Sheriff Dunbar’s reinforcements arrive, and soon the Koi is overrun with police deputies doing what resembles actual detective work–snapping photos of the crime scene, dusting for fingerprints, collecting soil samples, and taking witness statements." (p. 136)
Sheriff Dunbar's reinforcements arrive.
Soon the Koi is overrun with police deputies.
They are doing what resembles actual police work.
They are snapping photos of the crime scene.
They are dusting for fingerprints.
They are collecting soil samples.
They are taking witness statements.
"Moments later, I enter the kitchen with two fists full of skewers, along with all the other sharp objects I could find on the buffet table–a cheese knife, a bottle opener, and a box of toothpicks." (p. 49)
Moments later, I enter the kitchen with two fists full of skewers.
I'm also holding all the other sharp objects I could find on the buffet table.
I'm holding a cheese knife.
I'm holding a bottle opener.
I'm holding a box of toothpicks.
Sentences for Imitation:
The following sentences all have unique structural aspects. Dashes. Fragments. Unresolved ellipses. Parentheses. Italics. Colons. Take your pick and help your students learn how to use one of these tactics!
"He lets out a chuckle. He stifles it quickly, but it’s too late. It tells me everything I need to know. That all the things I’ve hoped for this past year–they’re all laughable. Ridiculous. Delusional." (p. 200)
"As long as I’ve known Mrs. B, she’s never locked Frogger because…well, who would steal it? But if there was a six-million-dollar ruby in the glove compartment…" (p. 163)
"My usual spying tactics (creeping, peeping, prying, and spying) may be off-limits–for real this time–but that doesn’t mean I’m going to abandon this case." (p. 96)
"Emotions pass over me so rapidly–shock, terror, excitement–that I can't work out exactly how I feel, but I do know one thing without a doubt: Somebody is planning to murder E.B. Willoughby this weekend!" (p. 33)
Used this book in your classroom? Tell us how in the comments!
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