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Mystery on Macaw Mountain
Birds of a feather solve crime together in this riveting middle grade mystery! When eight endangered macaws are stolen from a bird sanctuary in the Mayan ruins of Copán, four sleuthing cousins must find out who took them—and why.
Nico and his cousins don't have much in common, but they're all excited to visit the Mayan ruins at Copán and witness the release of the scarlet macaws. Nearly extinct in Honduras, eight of these majestic birds are about to be introduced to a brand new bird sanctuary. But on the eve of the big day the birds are stolen!
Who could have planned this bewildering bird heist—and why? Nico and his cousins are determined to find out—and anyone could be a poachers, developers, Mama's annoying novio . . . The investigation will take them from bustling downtown Copán to the mist-shrouded ruins of Macaw Mountain, uniting the cousins as they unravel a plot far stranger than any of them could have imagined.
Nico and his cousins don't have much in common, but they're all excited to visit the Mayan ruins at Copán and witness the release of the scarlet macaws. Nearly extinct in Honduras, eight of these majestic birds are about to be introduced to a brand new bird sanctuary. But on the eve of the big day the birds are stolen!
Who could have planned this bewildering bird heist—and why? Nico and his cousins are determined to find out—and anyone could be a poachers, developers, Mama's annoying novio . . . The investigation will take them from bustling downtown Copán to the mist-shrouded ruins of Macaw Mountain, uniting the cousins as they unravel a plot far stranger than any of them could have imagined.
- GenresMiddle GradeMystery
272 pages, Hardcover
Published March 10, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
In 2007, Nico Paz-Murcio and his younger sister Tess are excited that their cousins are coming from the US to spend ten days with them in Sacred Valley, near Copan, Honduras. Their mother works at the archaeological park, and the family is working to rescue macaws. They have a refuge with a number of them. The visit takes their mind of the fact that there father is living in the city while their parents are separated. Emilio is NOT excited to travel, and would rather read in peace than share a bedroom with three other people. Jackie has a bit of anxiety, and isn't all that excited either. Reintroducing macaws to the wild is a lengthy process, but so far things have been going well, and there's a lot of excitement as the mother works with a US museum for a tour of artifacts. Nico, who has a love/hate with the birds, is worried that his mother has a boyfriend. Tessa has a plan to teach the birds to talk, and is taping everything she does on a vintage tape recorder. When the macaws all go missing, the children band together to investigate. This involves interviewing their line up of suspects, hacking into computers, getting tips from Guatemala, and ultimately finding a culprit close to home.
Strengths: I'm a big fan of books where children travel to different places to visit relatives, because it not only gives us a great up close view of the place, but reinforces the importance of family. Even though my grandmother only lived a half hour away, I desperately wanted to be asked to spend the summer working on her dairy farm with some of my 38 cousins! This story is told in alternating chapters from the points of view of each cousin, and the challenges of the cousins are all realistic. The fact that the parents were separated was well portrayed. This had some good twists and turns, and the end of the book is upbeat.
Weaknesses: At one point, the children investigate with some rather intrusive technology ways which made me uncomfortable. It was for a good cause, but hacking into a computer and planting a tape recorder also seemed less likely to actually happen. Young readers won't mind this at all.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed mysteries in specific locations, like Smith's The Wildes series, Cerantes' Frida Me, Frida, and the Secret of the Peacock Ring, Perkins' The Golden Necklace: A Darjeeling Tea Mystery or Beil's The Wreck at Ada's Reef.
In 2007, Nico Paz-Murcio and his younger sister Tess are excited that their cousins are coming from the US to spend ten days with them in Sacred Valley, near Copan, Honduras. Their mother works at the archaeological park, and the family is working to rescue macaws. They have a refuge with a number of them. The visit takes their mind of the fact that there father is living in the city while their parents are separated. Emilio is NOT excited to travel, and would rather read in peace than share a bedroom with three other people. Jackie has a bit of anxiety, and isn't all that excited either. Reintroducing macaws to the wild is a lengthy process, but so far things have been going well, and there's a lot of excitement as the mother works with a US museum for a tour of artifacts. Nico, who has a love/hate with the birds, is worried that his mother has a boyfriend. Tessa has a plan to teach the birds to talk, and is taping everything she does on a vintage tape recorder. When the macaws all go missing, the children band together to investigate. This involves interviewing their line up of suspects, hacking into computers, getting tips from Guatemala, and ultimately finding a culprit close to home.
Strengths: I'm a big fan of books where children travel to different places to visit relatives, because it not only gives us a great up close view of the place, but reinforces the importance of family. Even though my grandmother only lived a half hour away, I desperately wanted to be asked to spend the summer working on her dairy farm with some of my 38 cousins! This story is told in alternating chapters from the points of view of each cousin, and the challenges of the cousins are all realistic. The fact that the parents were separated was well portrayed. This had some good twists and turns, and the end of the book is upbeat.
Weaknesses: At one point, the children investigate with some rather intrusive technology ways which made me uncomfortable. It was for a good cause, but hacking into a computer and planting a tape recorder also seemed less likely to actually happen. Young readers won't mind this at all.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed mysteries in specific locations, like Smith's The Wildes series, Cerantes' Frida Me, Frida, and the Secret of the Peacock Ring, Perkins' The Golden Necklace: A Darjeeling Tea Mystery or Beil's The Wreck at Ada's Reef.
January 9, 2026
When eight scarlet macaws are stolen from a sanctuary, four cousins decide to take charge in finding the culprit-- and of course, the beautiful missing birds. A fun and engaging environmental mystery!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Immersed in 21st century Honduras amidst Mayan ruins and a burgeoning bird sanctuary, this middle grade mystery is perfect for tweens and teens ready for an adventure read. The author does a beautiful job weaving culture, complicated family dynamics, environmental issues, and issues related to historical artifacts with a nod toward repatriation. The four main characters, two children who live in Honduras and their cousins who are visiting from America, each take turns telling the story from their perspective, giving insight into motivations, fears, loyalty, and sense of family. I really enjoyed learning this read, and believe it will be a high interest read for great addition to middle school libraries and classrooms.
Thank you to Random House Children's, Knopf Books for Young Readers, Netgalley, and the author for early access to this engaging middle school mystery.
Thank you to Random House Children's, Knopf Books for Young Readers, Netgalley, and the author for early access to this engaging middle school mystery.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews