A SNEAK THIEF IN THE SHADOWS — Ali Lavecchia

Thirteen-year-old BEANS FAGIOLI and her mother Paulie move into Mill Creek, New Jersey, after a bumpy past and series of location changes over the last six years. BEANS lived in Seattle, Washington, until she was almost seven, that was the year her father was killed in a car crash at the hands of a drunk driver. Devastated, single mom Paulie uprooted the two of them and moved in with BEANS' grandparents in Galveston, Texas. Unhappy with the lack of privacy, Paulie once again moved BEANS to the quiet town of Steubenville, Ohio - home of dear supportive friends. BEANS no sooner gets settled when her mother decides to head east to the sleepy country town of Mill Creek, New Jersey. Both of these ladies find solace there along with endearing, new trustworthy friends. BEANS, who developed a nose for mystery solving early on, immediately gets involved in a dog napping caper and gains new found respect among her community. In A SNEAK THIEF IN THE SHADOWS (volume eleven in the mystery series), BEANS returns from a winter break vacation in Florida only to discover a rash of stolen goods from her middle school friends' lockers. In some cases, the items aren't of great monetary value; however, they have distinctive meaning or sentimental value with their owners. BEANS recruits her neighbor and best friend BOOGER BUGEROWSKI and star football quarterback VITO RUSAMANO (part time forensic scientist) to help her solve the mystery.