Opal Watson: Private Eye

by Brittany J. Thurman

Overview

Opal Watson, Private Eye introduces an exciting new middle grade mystery series based on the popular original Pinna podcast that feels like a modern-day version of Harriet the Spy.

Opal Watson loves being a detective. When her neighbor’s cat goes missing or her grandmother loses her cherished cookbook, Opal is on the case. And there is no mystery she cannot solve.

Returning home to Chicago after spending the summer with her Meme Augustine in New Orleans, Opal is nervous to begin school. Despite her parents’ confidence, they worry about her making new friends and dealing with her Retinitis Pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disease. When Opal gets paired with a new student, Ivy, to work on their history project together, she is hesitant—after all, she only needs her cousin, Frank, and her best friend, Madison.

But school quickly becomes the least of her worries. Madison has heard disturbances in the apartment building she and Opal live in, the Crescent. Renovations are being done, but it’s unclear where the noises are coming from that are upsetting all her neighbors. Even worse, the old building is the target of developers wanting to tear it down. As Opal begins to investigate, she realizes this will be her toughest case yet.

Can Opal solve the mystery at the Crescent and save her home? And what hidden truths will she uncover along the way?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063326514
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	04/15/2025
Series:	Opal Watson
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	3 MB
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Brittany J. Thurman is the author of the picture books Fly and Forever and Always and the middle grade mystery Opal Watson, Private Eye, and the coauthor of the middle grade novels Fearless: Boulevard of Dreams and Fearless: The Takeover, both written with Mandy Gonzalez. She is a former children’s specialist, dedicated to ensuring children’s literature truthfully reflects the world in which we live. Brittany holds an MFA in dramatic writing from Carnegie Mellon University and a BA in theater from Kingston University, London, England. She is an avid traveler and has lived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but now resides in her hometown of Louisville, Kentucky.

Editorial Reviews

A fun mystery with a strong sense of place and plenty of surprises.” — Kirkus Reviews

“A smart, layered mystery with an unforgettable heroine, ideal for readers who enjoy a slow-burning puzzle with rich character development and a strong sense of place.” — School Library Journal (starred review)

“Fans of the podcast and readers new to Opal's world won't want to miss her newest case, and they'll be eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.” — Booklist

From the Publisher

2025-02-01
In this series opener based on a popular podcast, 12-year-old Opal Watson loves solving mysteries—she writes down her observations and collects clues in her detective notebook.

Opal, who’s Black, has a condition called retinitis pigmentosa; she occasionally uses the cane she’s named “Pinkerton” to help her navigate in poor light conditions. On her way home to Chicago from New Orleans, where she stayed with her beloved grandmother and attended summer camp, Opal learns from her friend Madison Ling about mysterious noises coming from their apartment building, the Crescent, where Opal’s dad is the manager. Opal works with Madison and Frank Goode, her cousin and best friend, to get to the bottom of the mystery—which quickly grows bigger than any of them could have expected and even threatens the existence of the Crescent. At the same time, Opal wrestles with being partnered for a big project on the Great Migration with Ivy Atkinson, a new girl at school, after the two get off on the wrong foot at the seventh grade orientation event. The story moves at a steady pace, incorporating historical information into the many twists and turns as Opal races against the clock in a search for the truth. The book beautifully highlights the charms of the Chicago backdrop through the descriptions provided by Opal and other characters.

A fun mystery with a strong sense of place and plenty of surprises.(Mystery. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews