The Curse of Ravenscourt: A Samantha Mystery (American Girl Mysteries)
by Sarah Masters Buckey,\ Jean Paul Tibbles (Illustrator)

4 out of 5 stars

Samantha and her adopted sister Nelly go with Uncle Gard and Aunt Cornelia to live in an apartment in New York for a few weeks. The Ravenscourt Apartments are the height of luxury in the big city, but everything keeps going wrong in the building. The furnace breaks down, rats get into the walls, and a service elevator breaks and falls down the shaft. Some people think that the owner, Mr. Raven, must be cursed because he is such a harsh landlord to poor tenants in other buildings that he owns. Samantha and Nelly begin to investigate the strange occurrences around the building, determined to prove that the curse it not real, and someone must be targeting Mr. Raven.

Clue in the Castle Tower (American Girl Samantha Mysteries #4)
by Sarah Masters Buckey (Illustrator)

4 out of 5 stars

Samantha and Nelly are touring through England with Grandmary and the Admiral. They visit an old friend of the Admiral’s who lives in a grand manor house with a ruined castle on the grounds. There are rumors of a ghost in the manor, but Samantha and Nelly don’t believe in ghosts. However, when it’s discovered that some rare books have been stolen, they begin to wonder if someone has been using the ghost as a smokescreen for crime. The girls befriend two mischievous boys who live in the manor, and together they start to investigate the thefts.

I loved these fun Samantha mysteries so much! Samantha has always been my favorite American Girl since I was a little kid, and it was such a delight to revisit her world with some new stories.

The mysteries are intriguing with plenty of red herrings and mysterious clues. The writing is perfect for the target age group, but also enjoyable for adults to read. I loved learning more about this time period in history.

These books have been screened on the Screen It First website for some mildly sensitive content. https://screenitfirst.com/book/the-curse-of-ravenscourt-1491971

https://screenitfirst.com/book/clue-in-the-castle-tower-a-samantha-mystery-2595601