Thus far, "The Virginia Mysteries" series by Steven K. Smith has been a great little series to read. The two brothers, Sam and Derek, along with Sam's classmate and best friend, Caitlin, have had some fun adventures where they have not only solved mysteries, put some crooked people behind bars, and discovered some truly amazing treasures, but they have provided readers with some fantastic looks back at the history of our nation and its founding fathers. The one thing that has remained consistent, though, is that each book features a mystery for which the three young sleuths must dig out clues, solve codes and puzzles, and ultimately stop the "bad guy" from stealing a piece of history. Those are the things that have made this series, and its educational backdrops, so enjoyable. Thus, I opened the pages of this ninth book expecting to find more of the same great reading. Unfortunately, such was not the case.
In his acknowledgements at the end of the book, Smith indicates Pictures at the Protest was the hardest book he has had to write. It definitely deals with a "hot" and sensitive topic, especially in today's climate, and considering the subject matter, I do give Smith props for even daring to approach the subject. Instead of founding fathers and pre-20th century history, this time Smith broaches the fight for civil rights from the late 1950s and into the '60s. In the book, a university librarian is putting together an exhibit to showcase the protests from back in 1959, when the Prince Edward County, Virginia schools were closed simply because the residents did not want to desegregate their schools - they would rather close the schools than have the races mingle in the same school. Caitlin's father is helping the librarians with identifying individuals in the photographs uncovered, and naturally, Caitlin, Sam and Derek jump on board to help out. They start with one picture of a young girl holding a sign that says, "Educate don't segregate!" And that right there is the "mystery" to be solved in this book.
As with the previous books, Smith does an excellent job of intertwining the fictional story with historical facts, including true stories about real-life activities Barbara Johns, Oliver Hill, and Maggie Walker. But instead of focusing on a mystery, Smith instead focuses more on the headlines of today with regards to the toppling of statues, the ideas of white privilege, and the idea that being "white" should come with a feeling of guilt (as Sam is forced to reckon with throughout a good chunk of the book). I like that Smith addressed the issue of the kids' biker friends being Confederate supporters (this was the perfect book to do so), and also the fact that he showed the criminal nature of utilizing protests as a cover to loot and steal - both of these are very good points. He also addresses the need for protests at times to truly raise awareness and seek change. But I think the racial injustice and civil rights issues could have been better addressed through a mystery that the kids had to solve (such as, perhaps looking for the diary of one of the protestors that would reveal some unknown secret about those days, or maybe a lost deed that would provide new ownership for the cemetery where the civil rights activists and their families lay buried and nearly forgotten). Without the mystery, the book feels like nothing more than a political platform being pushed rather than a story for kids to enjoy and learn from.
This isn't to say there aren't good moments in the book, nor to say that there is not good historical information in the book, because there are both. It's just the fact that this book is completely lacking in mystery and does not fit with the previous eight books that come before. I agree with Smith when he says in his acknowledgements at the end that "remaining uneducated about a topic is often the easiest way to 'innocently' ignore injustice." There's no doubt about that at all. But I don't necessarily agree that utilizing a children's mystery series for the political platform that he pushes forth in this book is the proper place. I think he may have had a bigger impact if he had simply written a separate, stand-alone book about the topic, or, as I said above, had he integrated these things into a real mystery for the kids to solve. As it is now, I'm not sure the age group of readers for which this series is aimed will find this book as interesting or as engaging as the previous books, and for them to lose interest in the story would also defeat the underlying "cause" Smith is hoping to raise awareness for in the book.
(SIDENOTE - I should make it perfectly clear there that I don't disagree with many of the points that Smith raises in the book. There is certainly racial injustice in the world, and it's sad to see that there are still people who seek to divide us simply by the color of our skin. We all, as a society, have the responsibility to do what we can to put an end to inequality between races, between genders, and between any other line used to divide us. But my point in this blog post is that children's mystery books are not the appropriate forum for the full force of these topics and societal problems, and when such a topic becomes the sole focus of the book, with the mystery non-existent, then it sidelines the series and lessens the impact of the intended purpose.)
In any event, I can't fault Smith for writing as he feels compelled to do, and I know the 10th book in the series is already listed on Amazon, so there's more mysteries for Sam, Caitlin and Derek to solve. I hope Smith in future books is able to return to that perfect balance he has found in prior books with factual history and fictional mystery that is what draws readers into his stories and makes his books so engaging and fun to read.
RATING: 6 lost pairs of glasses out of 10 for choosing to tackle a tough issue and introducing a (hopefully) new friend with whom Sam, Caitlin and Derek can solve mysteries !
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