Turns out I read the second in a series before the first, something I don't like doing! I would definitely recommend to middle graders who want to get into mysteries that are a little more mature than Cam Jansen/ A-Z mysteries/ etc. The language is geared toward the age group (which is great, but does often color my personal rating of the book). The plot was interesting to follow and kept me thinking. I enjoyed the sub plot. I liked it enough to read the first in the series and any subsequent ones.