The Mizzy Mysteries: The Shadow on the Wreck

The Mizzy Mysteries, Book 2

By: Claire Hatcher-Smith, Yaroslava Apollonova, Lester Magoogan

Narrated by: Poppy Mae Barrett

A mysterious figure on an old fishing boat, anonymous postcards, disappearing cousins – Mizzy is thrilled to have a new mystery to solve! The next instalment in this charming series for middle-grade readers, starring a girl with Down syndrome.

Spending half-term with cousins in St Jude’s-on-Sea, Mizzy sees a spooky shadow on a wrecked old fishing boat on the shore and thinks she’s found her next mystery. But her cousins seem determined to keep her in the dark about their comings and goings to the wreck, and she’s left alone to help their old Greek-Cypriot grandfather Papou sort out his papers.

Then an anonymous postcard arrives for Papou, featuring a picture of the old wreck and the words WHAT REALLY HAPPENS? Mizzy must solve the mystery of the postcard sender and prove once again that she is the best detective in town.

©2026 Claire Hatcher-Smith, Yaroslava Apollonova, Lester Magoogan (P)2026 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

Praise for book 1 in The Mizzy Mysteries, A SKELETON IN THE CLOSET:

'I relate to Mizzy in so many ways — our curiosity, our love for problem solving, and we both have big dreams. We also happen to have an extra chromosome in common, and I love that it's the least interesting thing about her! Mizzy knows who she is and she keeps following her path, even when others don't think she can. Mizzy IS marvellous!” Madison Tevlin, Host, Actor, Model & Advocate

“Young readers will adore this unique and endearing new sleuth” Kenneth Oppel