I love a good mystery. It is my favorite genre of books to read. Today we are sharing a middle grade mystery that is well written and does so much more than just entertain. The kid detectives in the book use prayer as their secret weapon. It is a very Christian book with some scripture in the story as well. The book is the first in the Kingswell Kid Detective Series. It is The Mystery of the Missing Falls by Jen Weaver and Gayle Veitenheimer. After my review there is a giveaway!
About the Book:
The Mystery of the Missing Falls: The Kingswell Kid Detectives Book 1 by Jen Weaver and Gayle VeitenheimerKregel Publications (2026) | 978-0825452864 | Ages 8–12 (192 pages)
Series: The Kingswell Kid Detectives — Book 1
Publisher Book Summary: Luka and Ember are ready to put their new detective agency on the map, and the town’s oldest unsolved mystery might be just the case to do it. When cousins Jake and Callie — who are at odds with each other — join the investigation, the young detectives set out to uncover the truth behind the missing falls, help mend an age-old family feud, and discover an unexpected tool along the way: prayer.
Blending high-stakes sleuthing and page-turning adventure with the questions kids really ask about God, The Mystery of the Missing Falls invites young readers to discover that prayer is more than talking to God — it’s part of an ongoing relationship with a God who speaks, listens, and meets them in everyday life.
Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org
About the Authors:
Find her at thejenweaver.com.
Gayle Veitenheimer is a writer, Bible teacher, speaker, blogger, and host of The
Christian Grandparenting Podcast. She earned her Master of Biblical Studies from Dallas Theological Seminary. She lives in Austin, Texas.
Find her at gayleveitenheimer.com.
Learn more about the series at kingswellkids.com.
From Me:
Luka and Ember are cousins who begin a kid detective agency. Luka's father is a police detective and Ember's father is a pastor. The town has a big contest to solve a decades old mystery. When the kids of the family who offer the contest come in to hire them, they make a choice to work with them, but only if these kids who are also cousins agree to work together. They also had several rules that they all had to follow. Rules like be kind, work together and pray. The contest has everyone in town trying to find the missing falls and the treasure. Even the police department has a team looking for it. Luka and Ember have a leg up because Jake and Callie can share with them the founder's journal and map--family treasures. Can they find the missing falls and treasure?
There are many things I love about this book besides the mystery. Jake and Callie do not get along. Ember and Luka see helping their relationship as a side job. They force them to all work together and it seems to be working. Ember teaches them about prayer and listening for God's answers. Although the other three are a bit skeptical at first and struggle with the idea of having conversations with God and actually understanding and hearing the answers. Besides prayer there are also scripture verses that are clues in the mystery as well as messages for the various characters. Throughout the book the reader sees the importance of prayer and sees how easy it is to pray.
At times some of the characters break their own rules. When this happens, there are consequences. One gets lost and has to be rescued by the others. With each consequence though something good also happens. Each character realizes how important the others are to them as well as getting closer to solving the mystery.
The Kingswell family who the town is named for is also part Cherokee. Therefore, throughout the book there are some Native American references and cultural aspects. I love this as well. Noble Kingswell, the founder, wanted to live peacefully with the Cherokee unlike many of the other European settlers.
Overall, this book is a fun read and has so many built in lessons and more. Although the prayer and scripture might be much for someone who is not Christian, I personally found it refreshing and loved the idea of helping kids learn to both talk to God and listen for responses. At the beginning of the book there is a note to the adults about this and the purpose of the book from the authors. I think many kids will love reading this story and possibly learn a bit from it as well!
Giveaway:
Calling all junior detectives! Follow along on this virtual book tour and enter to win one of five copies of The Mystery of the Missing Falls by Jen Weaver and Gayle Veitenheimer. Good luck! Click the picture below to enter!
