The Tontine Caper

Clue meets Knives Out for the younger set in this twisty-turny middle grade mystery-comedy with dry humor, impeccable plotting, and fun interactive bonus content.

Eleven-year-old orphan Nico Lombardi has been unfairly indentured at a remote mountain inn for five years now.

Just as he gathers the courage to escape, the inn gets booked by the remaining members of a "tontine," an investment scheme where a cash prize is awarded to whomever lives the longest. In other words, every guest wants access to the fortune. Preferably as soon as possible.

During their stay, a chaotic race to control the fate of the tontine takes over the normally sleepy inn. Nico watches in horror as a series of comically disastrous events unfolds--some of which might aid his escape, and some of which might get him in big trouble. Before he can even put the right clues together, three unexpected revelations change the course of everyone's future!

Arch humor and an incredible cast of strange and calculating characters keep the pages turning in this Wes Anderson-esque mystery filled with funny mishaps and misunderstandings.

With illustrations, a hotel map, character dossiers, a personality quiz, and a test to see how YOU would fare in a tontine caper, this read is perfect for fans of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library and The 39 Clues series.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Author: Dianne K. Salerni
Publisher: Holiday House
Published: 04/22/2025
Pages: 208
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.70lbs
Size: 8.35h x 5.83w x 0.94d
ISBN: 9780823458103
Audience: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 6.4
Point Value: 5
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 554665 / Tontine Caper


Review Citation(s):
Booklist 01/01/2025 pg. 86
Publishers Weekly 01/20/2025
Kirkus Reviews 02/15/2025
Horn Book Magazine 03/01/2025 pg. 83
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2025 - Superior,Well Above Average

About the Author
Dianne K. Salerni has written many books for children and young adults, including The Carrefour Curse, which received three starred reviews and was a Kirkus Best Book of the Year, and Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selections Eleanor, Alice, and the Roosevelt Ghosts and Jadie in Five Dimensions. She attended the University of Delaware and the University of Pennsylvania before teaching fourth and fifth grades for many years. Now Dianne spends her time hanging around creepy cemeteries, climbing 2,000-year-old pyramids for book research, and volunteering at her local rescue animal shelter. She lives in Pennsylvania with her family. Visit her at www.diannesalerni.com.

Matt Schu is an artist and children's book illustrator from Portland, Oregon. He is the illustrator of the picture books Cut!, written by CE Winters, which received a starred review from The Horn Book, and My Cat Does Ballet, written by Robert Heidbreder, which was a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection, as well as the Cosmic Collisions books by Dr. Marc Kuchner. Thanks to growing up in the Pacific Northwest, he draws a lot of trees, houses, and cloudy skies. Visit him at www.matt-schu.com.