The Cayuga Island Kids series features a diverse group of big-hearted friends who work together to solve mysteries, have adventures, and organize community projects. They are fact detectives who think, brainstorm, research, and collaborate to uncover answers and puzzle out solutions. Above all, they are kind, helpful, smart, and resourceful kids who have lots of fun together.
These chapter books are perfect for 7- to 10-year-olds in 1st through 4th grade.
“Any book that begins with a map of an island is my kind of story. Enliven that setting with a diverse group of characters who are consistently kind—and bursting with curiosity—and you’ve got all the elements of a series that is alive with adventure, friendship, and mystery.”
~ James Preller, author of the Jigsaw Jones mystery series
Book 1: The Mystery of the Barking Branches and the Sunken Ship
This entertaining mystery-history adventure is based on real events surrounding one of the biggest puzzles of the Great Lakes! The Cayuga Island Kids set off on a hunt for a certain kind of tree and instead unearth a cannonball thought to be from a treasure ship built right on their island that sank in 1679 and was never recovered. As they hunt for clues and follow leads, they discover that the island they live on is home to a whole lot of history. And, it turns out, a whole lot of mystery, too. We all have history in our own backyards, just waiting to be discovered by inquisitive, adventurous, and fun-loving fact detectives!
Book 2: The Adventure of the Big Fish By the Small Creek
Moving from knowing something has to be done to getting it done takes determination, teamwork, and sometimes, looking in a new direction. In this award-winning second book in the series, the Cayuga Island Kids rescue a mallard caught in the plastic rings from six-pack of cans. Moments later, a girl on a bike carelessly tosses a plastic bottle in the creek. That’s when they decide it’s time for action. How the Cayuga Island Kids go from fishing a plastic bottle out of the creek to bringing the community together to build a recycling bin big enough to hold plenty of plastic makes for a lively adventure. Young readers will be entertained as they come to realize the importance of brainstorming ideas, teamwork, the value of community effort, recycling, and the promise of new friendships. Best of all, readers will cheer on the Cayuga Island Kids as they come to realize that, although we are each just one person, together we can make a BIG difference.
Book 3: The Case of the Messy Message and the Missing Facts
It’s fall as Book 3 of the Cayuga Island Kids chapter book series opens. Julian explores food science as he experiments with recipes for the perfect chocolate chip cookie. Being a cookie sampler takes Mac’s mind off his troubles with fractions. Yoko practices for the school play tryouts, and Maya helps Ms. Choi with the Make-and-Take-Club. Lacey, of course, is searching for the next mystery to solve. And then two of Ms. Choi’s glitter pens go missing. The clues and evidence point to a suspect, but are the Cayuga Island Kids jumping to conclusions? When a classmate jumps to conclusions and shares false information about Julian’s cookies, the kids join forces to set the facts straight. And while researching explorers for a school project, the kids uncover misinformation that blurs the truth, and makes the reasons for being a fact detective crystal clear. Sorting through clues and evidence—just like research—means making sure you have all the facts, and not just a fraction of the truth. Young readers will cheer for the Cayuga Island Kids as they embark on this adventure involving misinformation, faulty assumptions, flour bugs, glitter pens, and chocolate chip cookies.
Click here to download Educator Guides and Activity Kits!
Teresa Amabile –
Kite to Freedom is a gripping story about the underground railroad in Niagara Falls, New York, in the 1850s, based on the true story of the first bridge to span the Niagara Gorge. Young people will thoroughly enjoy the friendship between the two child heroes and their triumph over obstacles of nature, poverty, and bigotry. The lessons of Kite to Freedom are unforgettable.
– Teresa Amabile, Professor, Harvard University
StoreyBook Reviews –
This is a great middle-grade book that teaches children about how a suspension bridge was built over the Niagra Falls gorge and also teaches them about how different parts of the country viewed slavery in the mid-1800s along with some facts about the Underground Railroad and Harriet Tubman.
The story is well told and I appreciated Katie’s innocence in what she knew as a young lady. While she recognized that she and Homan had different skin colors, they treated each other as equals and didn’t think twice about their differences. I think they both learned a lesson about slavery and human rights as they observed a young black woman escaping to freedom in Canada. They are even able to meet her and spend time with her during a snowstorm that left them stranded in Canada for a few days.
I especially enjoyed the part of the story that educated me on how suspension bridges are built and the ingenuity that one person came up with to get the wire over the gorge to the other side. This was no easy task but it was a nice peek into STEM and might influence another young mind in this field.
I enjoyed the illustrations and felt like they capture the scene and the moment and add dimension to the book.
I think this is a must read for middle-grade students. They can learn quite a bit and perhaps whet their appetite for more. We give this book 5 paws up.
kellyn brower –
“Kite to Freedom is a must read for middle school students and adults!
The author did an amazing job combining elements of Black history, the underground railroad, and STEM in a historical narrative that is accessible for the young reader.
Schools and parents will be delighted to have this story in their homes. The story is thoughtful, informative, and fun while teaching the reader of the significance the Niagara Falls played in the Underground Railroad.
Added bonus- the beautiful black and white illustrations throughout the book!”
Elizabeth Hunziker –
Would highly recommend this book to any ~3rd-6th grade reader (or a quick/fun read for more advanced readers). When I learned about the Underground Railroad in school, the curriculum was primarily focused on enslaved people’s experience getting out of the South rather than the final leg of the journey from the US into Canada. In only 51 pages, Dinan weaves a tale that encompasses history, friendship, understanding and hope.
E&E Filbrun –
“We really enjoyed this book. I read it aloud to several of my children, and when I asked them what they thought, they said, “It’s good!” My 6-year-old’s favorite part was the kite-flying contest, and my 9-year-old’s favorite was setting slaves free. I liked that there were so many elements pulled together into one story: An exciting kite-flying contest, the building of the Niagara Falls Suspension bridge, and the Underground Railroad. This is a book I would love to have in print on our shelf.
I received a review copy of this book from NetGalley, and these are my honest thoughts about it.”