"To Catch a Thief is a page-turner of a mystery with a great big
heart, and Amelia MacGuffin is the smart, funny kid sleuth we've all
been waiting for. Readers will laugh and fall in love with the MacGuffin
family as they follow the clues to crack this absolutely delightful
case." --Kate Messner, New York Times bestselling author of Blackout
Urchin Beach isn't the sort of place where bad things happen. The little
seaside town is too lucky for that. But then one day, a thief steals
something precious--the town's dragonfly staff, which is the source of
all its good fortune and the most important part of the upcoming
Dragonfly Day Festival.
Amelia MacGuffin is no detective. She's eleven, quiet, and unlike her
four younger siblings, she has no special talents. But Amelia loves her
town. Her family has lived there forever. Her parents run the Pacific
General Store, and she and her best friends, Birdie and Delphine, are
about to start middle school. If Amelia doesn't find the staff, the
Dragonfly Day Festival will be canceled .
The town needs that tourist money to survive. Unless she cracks the
case, Amelia's family will lose everything--including the adorable stray
dog they've fallen in love with. She only has seven days to solve Urchin
Beach's crime of the century. It's not a lot of time, but Amelia has her
list of suspects. It might be the new kids next door. Or the grumpy
mystery writer who lives in the town's creepiest mansion. Or perhaps
even someone closer to home.
Amelia wants to save the town. She wants to save the dog. She wants
both, so much.
But first, she has to catch a thief.
