Mary Beth's Reviews > It's Elementary

It's Elementary adds a new sarcastic, smart amateur detective to the book world.

Mavis has an adorable little girl, Pearl, who is in second grade at Knoll Elementary. She gets roped into chairing the PTA's DEI Committee (given that she is one of the few minority parents at the school). She has avoided the meetings so far, and it is all that she feared. Women are trying to prove they are the better mom, the principal and PTA president are fighting, and she just wants to go home and go to bed. While walking her dog after the PTA meeting, she sees the PTA president Trisha doing something suspicious - walking out of the school with giant black trash bags, wearing yellow rubber gloves.

The next day, the school principal is missing, and Mavis is wondering if Trisha was disposing a body last night. She teams up with the cute school psychologist to try to solve the principal's disappearance. Meanwhile, she has to content with changing friendships, bullying, her real job, her ex husband who might be coming back to town for good, and her father, who lives with her and Pearl. It's a lot, and every woman will be able to relate!

This book is a fun read, with some sharp commentary on race, parent culture in affluent schools, and adult friendships. The culprit didn't surprise me, but it still was a satisfying mystery.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book.