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“This engaging mystery blends family dynamics, conservation, and cultural heritage, offering readers a thoughtful look at the complexity of human motives….A warm, twisty mystery in which family, heritage, and courage take flight.”

—Kirkus Reviews

“An engaging title reminiscent of Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, but for a new generation.”

—Booklist

Mystery on Macaw Mountain

Written by María José Fitzgerald
Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers

Birds of a feather solve crime together in this exciting middle grade mystery! When eight endangered macaws are stolen from a bird sanctuary in the Mayan ruins of Copán, four sleuthing cousins must find out who took them—and why.

Nico and his cousins don’t have much in common, but they’re all excited to visit the Mayan ruins at Copán and witness the release of the scarlet macaws. Nearly extinct in Honduras, eight of these majestic birds are about to be introduced to a brand new bird sanctuary. But on the eve of the big day the birds are stolen!

Who could have planned this bewildering bird heist—and why? Nico and his cousins are determined to find out—and anyone could be a suspect: poachers, developers, Mama’s annoying novio . . . The investigation will take them from bustling downtown Copán to the mist-shrouded ruins of Macaw Mountain, uniting the cousins as they unravel a plot far stranger than any of them could have imagined.

Primary ISBN: 9780593488744
Publication Date: March 2026
Available As: Hardcover, Audiobook, eBook
Middle Grade, Age 08 or older

Community Represented:

Themes: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Setting: Honduras

Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: 1st Generation

Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience

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