The Mystery of the Stolen World Cup Trophy by Angela Cervantes (Henry Holt and Co., 240 pages, grades 4-7). Diez has a dad who loved soccer and almost went pro. He had a mother who loved mysteries until she died of cancer not too long ago. These two influences come together when Diez and his dad are invited to an exclusive FIFA party by Diez’s crush, Rio. In the middle of the party, the World Cup trophy mysteriously disappears, and Diez teams up with Rio to try to figure out what happened. A big storm keeps everyone in the hotel for several hours, so the mystery must be solved before lockdown ends and the thief can escape. Although the police and a famous investigator are on the case, it’s Diez who discovers the missing piece to the puzzle that reveals who stole the trophy.

I’m not usually a big mystery person, but I got caught up in this story, which was not only a whodunit but the story of Diez. He has a great sense of humor and is also honest about his own shortcomings and working through his grief about his mother. There were a lot of characters to keep track of, and I would have appreciated a list of them all somewhere that I could have referred back to. I definitely didn’t see the final resolution to the mystery coming, but it all made perfect sense. This should generate a lot of interest with students coming back to school after the big World Cup summer.

Queso, Just In Time by Ernesto Cisneros (Quill Tree Books, 272 pages, grades 4-7). Queso is another narrator dealing with grief, in this case losing his dad in a senseless shooting. Before he died, his father had been going through a difficult time, dealing with PTSD from his military service. In an unexpected series of events, Queso finds himself transported back to 1985, where he meets Pancho, who turns out to be his dad when he was Queso’s age. Pancho accepts Queso’s story that he’s gotten separated from his mom and invites him to stay at his house, where Queso meets a younger version of his beloved abuelita and his abuelito, who passed away shortly after Queso was born. He also learns of his dad’s struggles at school and his joy at being the best at foosball. Torn between missing his home and wanting to soak up every minute with his father, Queso tries to help Pancho do better at school and have more confidence in himself, hoping that that will help him lead a happier life. When Queso is finally able to go home again, he discovers that his dad is still dead, but the changes that Queso initiated in 1985 have paid big dividends in his present life.

This Back to the Future-inspired time-travel story explores a number of different issues including grief, living your best life, Queso’s Mexican heritage, and being an ally as Queso learns to be that to LGBTQ+ friends in the past and present. I have mixed feelings about time-travel stories, which are a lot of fun, but which always leave me wondering about making changes that go forward into the present. Cisneros handles the plot of this one very well, though, and I definitely had fun revisiting the 1980’s.