What’s the book about?
I didn’t always live with seven old people and one middle-aged cavoodle called Christine …
Claudia Smith’s parents have left her to (temporarily) live with her grandparents at Boonside Heights Retirement Village while they’re away on a once-in-a-lifetime cruise.
The only good thing? The most popular kids at school, Yasmin and Zayn Bassal, have turned up to visit their grandmother.
The not-so-good thing? Orpheus McAdoo, the most annoying kid at school, is hanging around like a bad smell.
When the discovery of a mysterious note has the oldies in a fluster, Claudia sees an opportunity for the unlikely foursome to get together and solve the mystery. There’s just one problem …
They don’t have a single clue.
Recommended for:
Ages 9+
Three reasons to read it:
- What makes this book extra fun is that the kids aren’t brilliant detectives right from the start. The main mystery unfolds in a very real and relatable way. Instead of watching super-smart characters solve everything instantly, you get to follow along as they try to make sense of the mysterious note step by step. This creates lots of funny mistakes, surprising guesses, and moments where things go completely wrong before they go right. It also makes you feel like you could solve the mystery too.
- The setting of a retirement village, the idea of a dog named Christine, and the mix of very different characters creates so many silly and entertaining moments. This makes the book a great choice if you enjoy stories that’ll make you laugh. The Clueless Guide to Solving a Mystery gives readers the excitement of a mystery without any of the stress or scariness.
- One of the most interesting parts of The Clueless Guide to Solving a Mystery is how Claudia ends up working with people she normally wouldn’t. There’s a mix of personalities, including the most popular kids at school, Yasmin and Zayn, and also Orpheus, who totally is the most annoying kid. Instead of everyone getting along perfectly, the group has to figure out how to cooperate despite their differences. This makes the mystery more exciting because solving it depends on them learning to work together, even when it’s frustrating.
Buy a copy of The Clueless Guide to Solving a Mystery here.
About the author:
Samera Kamaleddine has considered herself a writer since she got her first creative writing certificate in kindergarten. She went on to become a journalist, writing about everything from friendship to body confidence for young women’s magazines. Now, she’s the author of Half My Luck (Matilda Prize winner 2021), The Sideways Orbit of Evie Hart (shortlisted for CBCA Book of the Year for Younger Readers 2024) and the Clueless series. She also moonlights as a librarian.
Hykie Breeze is an illustrator and graphic designer, born in Hong Kong and now fortunate enough to be living and working in Sydney (Dharawal country). After nearly a decade in marketing and events management, Hykie moved into graphic design, before finding her way to illustration. As a lifelong bookworm, deciding to draw with the purpose of empowering kids to read on their own was one of the best decisions she has ever made. Hykie is the illustrator for the Ella and the Frogs series, written by Cassy Polimeni. The first in the series, Ella and the Amazing Frog Orchestra, was included on the CBCA Notables list for Younger Readers in 2025.
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