Summary: Montgomery and the Case of the Golden Key
Monty Carver is a precocious 10-year-old who’s dying to get more freedom from his parents. He has one best friend, Alex, and a new guy Jerome, who’s Alex’s friend but whom Monty doesn’t particularly like. And he has two neighbors, older women who seem to be feuding with each other and competing against each other’s gardens: Mrs Williams and Ms Jenkins. When Monty presumptuously uses the metal detector his parents planned to surprise him with and breaks it in the process, they tell him that he has to work odd jobs for people in their apartment building/neighborhood to earn the money to repay them. Just before he broke the metal detector, Monty and his friend found a golden key and he becomes embroiled in learning more about it. It’s also the summer of 2008, and Monty joins his mom and neighbors to canvas for Obama while debating whether their Chicago community should host the Olympics and fighting to keep their middle school open. Will Monty figure out the mystery while helping out his community and keeping his parents happy?
The Good
SO MUCH is going on in this story, but I liked Monty’s character. He’s funny, charming, upbeat, and confident. His parents are encouraging while, of course, keeping him in line. I loved seeing a kid be friends with so many adults and even some elderly folks. The story moves at a bearable medium pace, throwing in subplots every few pages to keep readers involved in the first half and then resolving each one in the second half of the book. Even though things didn’t move as quickly as they could have, I enjoyed the ride and wanted to know how each loose end would be tied up.
Monty gets into a lot of trouble, which I think will make his antics relatable for many boys. There’s a lot of activity between hanging out with his friends, solving the mystery, and standing up for his community. The feud between the two neighbors Monty works for also makes for plenty of funny moments and entertainment for readers. I learned a lot about the impact (which I thought would only be positive) on a community of its city hosting the Olympic games. I also enjoyed seeing Monty come up with ways to save the school in his community.
Content Notes
Here are some specifics to know about the content.
Content Warnings
- Death: None
- Alcohol/substance abuse: None
- Sexual content: None
- Violence: None
Diversity
- Ethnic: Most of the characters are Black
- Sexual orientation: None
Recommended for ages: 9+
Good for Kids Who Like:
- Take Back the Block by Chrystal Giles
- The Varian Inheritance by Varian Johnson
- Gently mystery books
- Funny stories
- Community-oriented stories
Publisher Details
Publisher details | Tu Books |
Author: | Tracy Occomy Crowder |
Illustrator: | N/A |
Publication date: | October 10, 2023 |
Audiobook? | Yes. Libro.fm |
Page count: | 272 |
Cover artists | Designer: |
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Tracy Abell says
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