*The Golden Necklace by Mitali Perkins

Sona is determined to find out who stole her friend’s golden necklace in order to clear her brother of suspicion in this new mystery series set in India.

*The Golden Necklace (A Darjeeling Tea Mystery) by Mitali Perkins. CharlesBridge, 2025, 128 pages.

• Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10
• Recommended for: ages 8-14

Twelve-year-old Sona, her brother (Samiram), and her mother live in a small home near the Darjeeling tea plantation where her mother works. Samiram is trying to find work to repay a loan, Sona is hard at work studying for an English proficiency exam, and their mother works all day at the back-breaking labor of hand-picking precious tea leaves.

Sona’s best friend, eighteen-year-old Tara, is the niece of the tea plantation’s harsh master. Tara’s uncle keeps her bound to her room for much of the day, so on Sona’s daily journey to get water, she climbs a tree outside Tara’s window and visits her friend.

One day, Tara tells Sona that her uncle has arranged a marriage for her! The girls are shocked, but Tara is of age and it’s an expected next step. The hard part is the groom’s bad reputation; additionally, Tara’s uncle is using Tara’s dowry (gold jewelry) to both secure Tara’s future and further his own business interests. The girls hatch a plan to surreptitiously view the jewels while they’re on display. Later that day, Sona hears the news: the jewels have been stolen! Tara’s uncle is on the warpath, searching high and low and promising rewards. Sona’s brother is one of the targets.

If this sounds like a lot of set up for a middle grades mystery, it is. But one of Perkins’s strengths as a writer is weaving many big issues into her stories with grace and ease. In The Golden Necklace, readers will learn about harsh labor conditions, cultural clashes between different people groups, cultural traditions such as arranged marriages, the need for reliable drinking water, the importance of education, and more… all while enjoying a very satisfying mystery. The clues are laid along the way, and no detail is forgotten. I figured it out, but only just before the big reveal.

Sona does sneak out of her home in pursuit of the truth, but she is reconciled to her mother at the end. In the end, Tara remains unmarried but with an incurably romantic suitor biding his time (he is much closer to her age and a much better fit for her than the previously arranged marriage’s groom). Sona’s brother has turned the corner as well, working hard to help support his family. And better labor conditions are also in the offing. The Golden Necklace offers a window into many issues and shows how people striving for truth and justice can work together to bring hope to their neighbors.

Considerations: none.

Bottom Line: The Golden Necklace is a great new mystery series for young middle grade readers, especially for those who want to read a mystery with added cultural depth.

Also at Redeemed Reader:

• Reviews: We’ve reviewed quite a few books by Mitali Perkins! Close reads to The Golden Necklace include Rickshaw Girl, Tiger Boy, and Hope in the Valley.
• Reviews: More mysteries for the mystery-loving crew: School Ship Tobermory, The Mysterious Benedict Society, and the City Spies Series are all lots of fun.
• Resource: Don’t miss our Mystery Booklist for Teens and Tweens!

Order The Golden Necklace from Amazon.