Shirley and Jamila solidified their friendship over the summer (in Shirley and Jamila Save Their Summer, 2020), but now it's fall, and Jamila is worried that they'll drift apart. It's not hard to see why: they take different classes, Jamila is busy with basketball and getting to know her teammate Seena, and Shirley is still her usual inscrutable self. But when a kid needs help dealing with slimy Chuck Milton--their school's resident blackmailer, who trades life-ruining secrets for candy---Shirley needs Jamila's help to take him down once and for all. Goerz spins a twisty mystery plot featuring disguises, a late-night heist, and long-buried secrets, satisfyingly tying it all up in a surprising reveal. In the background, she playfully subverts classic middle-grade drama, depicting a deepening, expanding friendship among kids who ostensibly don't have much in common. Jamila's feelings about her friendship with Seena are particularly poignant: Jamila is Pakistani Canadian, and while Shirley is white, Seena is half Pakistani, half Afghan, and it's a relief for Jamila to find a friend who understands her family. She's equally relieved to realize that there's no right or best kind of friendship to have. Autumn light glows in dense city backgrounds littered with falling leaves, and Goerz nicely mixes visual narrative styles (wordless spreads, layered snapshots) to tell this fun, dynamic story. Hand to fans of Varian Johnson's The Great Greene Heist (2014).

The start of school ushers in new friends and a new case in this follow-up to Shirley & Jamila Save Their Summer(2020). Ten-year-old Jamila Waheed is attending a new school, but luckily her best friend, Shirley Bones, is right by her side. After being inseparable over the summer, school-year busyness brings in a change of routine: homework, lessons, practices, and more. Jamila might have even made herself a second friend, Seena, through her community basketball team. Meanwhile, Shirley's still on the detective beat. The latest case has the pair pitted against a formidable opponent: notorious sixth grader Chuck Milton. The school bully trades in secrets and wields them against fellow students he extorts, including their client. Can he be stopped? Is breaking and entering ever OK? How about faking a friendship? Goerz's detailed and expressive art pairs with dynamic dialogue to create a strong cast of characters and plotting. Emotional tension from new and developing friendships and suspense stemming from the case keep the pacing taut. Readers will especially empathize with Jamila as she worries and works to balance friendships with very different people. The neighborhood school setting is diverse: Shirley is White, Jamila is Pakistani Canadian, and Seena is Afghan and Pakistani Canadian. A solid next installment to this detective series centered on friendship. (Graphic mystery. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.