Series: Heroes on the Home Front Mysteries #1
Published by Moody Publishers on May 13, 2025
Genres: Children's
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Sixth grader Riley Abercrombie is determined to win—even if she has to gulp down her nerves and speak in public. The Historical Society is having a contest with a cash prize and an all-expenses-paid trip to where her great-grandma once lived. But a winning essay about her brave relative, a Rosie the Riveter in World War II, may launch Riley on an adventure far bigger than she’d imagined. She soon finds herself in a real-life mystery. A famous tool, an antique rivet gun, is missing, and Riley is sure she can uncover the culprit. Chasing clues and suspects with her new friend Marcus through a museum’s vintage artifacts and aircraft, Riley just might discover she needs more than good detective skills. Will she learn to trust God when the wrong person has been accused? Can she be brave in the face of danger like her beloved great-grandma? When the kids’ sleuthing puts them in peril, they’re going to need faith, friendship, and even forgiveness to get them through.
In this mystery novel for kids, the main character wins a contest and gets to travel to a World War II museum for a special event. The museum is celebrating the real-life women behind the symbol of Rosie the Riveter, and Riley is very invested in this, due to her family history and personal interest in World War II. While she and her grandmother are at the museum, Riley becomes friends with Marcus, a boy whose father works there. Then, when a special artifact goes missing, Riley and Marcus investigate together to find the culprit.
Keep ‘Em Flying involves lots of historical details, along with some technical information about planes. Some of these elements appear as part of the plot and the characters’ conversations, and the book also includes sidebars with “Riley’s Riveting Fun Facts.” At the end of the book, author Nell Branum also included a note to explain what she based on history, and which parts of the story involved imaginative license.
This book will primarily appeal to kids who are already have an interest in World War II, but the mystery plot will entice other readers. The mystery is believable, especially when it comes to the children’s investigation. Both kids and parents will appreciate how realistic this mystery is, in comparison to some wish fulfillment ones where kids do increasingly unbelievable things. Also, even though Riley and Marcus break a few rules during their investigation, they own up to these minor infractions later.
This story is Christian fiction, and it includes some spiritual messages throughout the book. Riley occasionally recalls Bible verses that encourage her, and she learns more about relying on God to deal with the challenges she faces, both during her adventure at the museum and in the background of her personal life. Christian parents will appreciate that this book actively includes faith-based messages, instead of just being clean and safe.
Keep ‘Em Flying is the first book in the Heroes on the Home Front Series, and it gets the series off to a good start. The mystery involves realistic investigation, interesting twists and turns, and enough suspense to keep readers turning pages. I found the pacing a little bit slow throughout the book as a whole, especially because of how much historical research the author wove into the characters’ conversations, but the story is entertaining overall, and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.