Katani's Jamaican Holiday

Grandma Ruby has received a letter from her Aunt Faith in Jamaica asking her to visit for a little while and help with the family banana bread bakery while her aunt has surgery. Katani can't wait to go along and bask in the tropical sun on the Jamaican beaches, and, soon enough, both she and Grandma Ruby are in the airport at Montego Bay meeting Katani's older cousin, Selvin. But surf and sand is something Katani sees little of on her Jamaican holiday. The bakery where her relatives bake the island's famous "Nana's Banana Bliss" is in danger, threatened by a larger company who might even be using a spy. When Katani's cousin, Olivia, loses a priceless necklace that belonged to her deceased mother, Katani gets roped into helping her get it back from their blind neighbor's dog. On their midnight mission, they see one of Aunt Faith's employees sneaking around in the bakery. But how can they reveal who the spy is if they would only get in trouble themselves? This book captivated me with its descriptions of Jamaica, its people, and its traditions, all while tying into an interesting mystery. Aside from a few rather lame attempts at mentioning other characters in the BSG series and how they would appreciate such and such thing, this story stands perfectly well by itself, and it is not necessary to have read any other books in the series prior to this one. Reviewed by: Allison Fraclose