Novels
Duet
Illustrated by Ziyue Chen
Christy Ottaviano Books
Little, Brown and Company, May 2022
For ages 8-12
A bird. A boy. A musical mystery.
A secret adventure takes a goldfinch named Mirabelle and a boy named Michael further than they could ever imagine—in friendship, in music, and in solving the mystery of a lost piano that might once have belonged to the great composer Frédérick Chopin. This fast-paced tale of artistic passion and sacrifice is based on the real historical mystery of Chopin’s lost piano.
• A JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD SELECTION
• AMAZON BEST BOOKS OF MAY 2022
“Mirabelle’s lively, accessible first-person narrative offers a fresh perspective on the lives of birds and keen perception of the human characters. A companion book to Broach’s Masterpiece (2008), this captivating chapter book is perfect for readers who, like Mirabelle, are sometimes spellbound by music.”
– Booklist, starred review
“Narrated by Mirabelle, a goldfinch with an exceptional voice, this soulful story set near Boston offers a bird’s-eye view of three friends bound together by their passion for music… Broach’s novel employs vivid descriptions, unique characters, and carefully crafted suspense.”
– Publishers Weekly, starred review
“This story illustrates an appreciation for excellence and the passion to create music just for the joy of it… A quick and interesting musical read, full of history and mystery.”
– Kirkus
The pace is brisk, and Mirabelle faces multiple dilemmas (beyond her secret duets), involving newly hatched siblings, a dangerous cat, and a desperately ill man. Broach gives her heroine true self-determination and emotional growth.”
– Horn Book
The Wolf Keepers
Illustrated by Alice Ratteree
Henry Holt and Company, October 2016
For ages 9-14
Wolves in danger. A lost cabin. A century-old historical mystery involving famed naturalist John Muir.
A zookeeper’s daughter and a runaway boy are drawn into a high-stakes adventure that puts their very lives at risk as they try to figure out what’s causing the deadly illness that is endangering the zoo’s wolf pack. Lizzie Durango has grown up bottle-feeding baby llamas and handling boa constrictors, but her life changes the day she meets Tyler Briggs, a runaway who’s been hiding out at the zoo and noticing strange happenings after dark. The two become friends and soon venture deep into the wilds of Yosemite National Park, looking for answers not just to the mystery of the wolves but to a real-life historical conundrum: the whereabouts of John Muir’s lost cabin.
• A JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD SELECTION
• 2017 FINALIST FOR THE GREEN EARTH BOOK AWARD
“Lizzie’s choice to follow Tyler into the wilderness… offers just one example of the ways Broach’s characters wrestle with ethical questions throughout this gratifying, thought-provoking tale.”
– Publishers Weekly, starred review
“This book raises the oft-debated question concerning the role of zoos holding animals in captivity for the purpose of protection… More than a good adventure story, this title could be a springboard for discussion.” Recommended
– School Library Journal
“Part friendship story, part mystery, and part survival adventure, this engaging chapter book makes the most of its two unusual settings.”
– Booklist
“Despite the fast pace of Lizzie and Tyler’s adventure—which climaxes in a harrowing 48 hours alone together at Yosemite—the text includes plenty of philosophical questions about animal rights and about relationships of all kinds. Tyler’s wry comments about his race add further dimensions to a thoughtful, well-told tale, as do the pencil drawings. John Muir’s spirit hums along under a well-developed plot with likable characters.”
– Kirkus
CLICK HERE FOR Wolf Keepers Author Interview
Revenge of Superstition Mountain
Book 3 in the Superstition Mountain Trilogy
Cover by Brett Helquist, interior art by Aleksey and Olga Ivanov
Henry Holt and Company, August 2014
For ages 8-12
In the third and final book of the Superstition Mountain trilogy, the Barker brothers and their friend Delilah venture up the dangerous mountain one last time, in the hope of finally uncovering its essential mystery. Why have people disappeared on Superstition Mountain? Why have they died there? Is it true that the Apache Thunder God will stop at nothing to protect the mountain’s gold, or are there human villains behind the mountain’s dangers? The Barker boys and Delilah are determined to find out.
• A JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD SELECTION
“The Barker brothers and Delilah are back on Superstition Mountain for one last secret climb, determined to solve its mysteries and get back into the gold mine that was covered by the avalanche in book two. A satisfying end to a fun and creepy series.”
– School Library Journal
“A ghost town, a cemetery, and the foreboding mountain itself provide seriously spooky settings for some spine-tingling moments. Following a particularly frightening ordeal, the kids’ reactions make them more likable than ever…readers who enjoyed the first two books will find this a satisfying conclusion for the Superstition Mountain trilogy.”
– Booklist
Treasure On Superstition Mountain
Book II in The Superstition Mountain Trilogy
Cover by Brett Helquist, interior art by Antonio Javier Caparo
Henry Holt and Company, February 2013
For ages 8-12
In this second book of the Superstition Mountain trilogy, the Barker boys and their friend Delilah search for the Lost Dutchman’s Mine, a legendary bonanza of gold that has lured treasure-hunters for centuries. As the children’s summer explorations lead them into ever more dangerous territory, they become the target of someone – or something – that wants to keep them off the mountain. Henry begins to understand the instinct for courage and adventure that is the true legacy of his Uncle Hank, and to his surprise, finds echoes of it in himself.
• A JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD SELECTION
“A visit to a ghost town, the spine-tingling discovery that the creepy town librarian has strange connections to her namesake… encounters with rattlesnakes, and terrifying rockslides combine to thrilling effect in this stellar sequel.”
– Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Combining cliffhanging chapter ends, sinister messages, a creepy librarian, Henry’s thoughtful internal monologues and the danger of unsupervised adventures in the Arizona landscape, this is a worthy second in Broach’s appealing series. Best enjoyed after the first, this absorbing, old-fashioned adventure will make readers eager for the next installment.”
– Kirkus Reviews
Missing On Superstition Mountain
Book I in the Superstition Mountain Trilogy
Cover by Brett Helquist, interior art by Antonio Javier Caparo
Henry Holt and Company, June 2011
For ages 8-12
The three Barker boys – Simon, Henry, and Jack – have just moved to Arizona when their cat Josie goes missing on Superstition Mountain, a place their parents have forbidden them to explore, due to its eerie history of unexplained disappearances and deaths. When the boys secretly pursue Josie up the mountain, they discover a hidden canyon and three human skulls. Soon, with the help of their neighbor Delilah, they are determined to solve the mountain’s mysteries – no matter what resistance they encounter from the strange inhabitants of the town of Superstition… or even from the mountain itself.
• A PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BEST BOOK OF 2011, CHILDREN’S FICTION
• AMAZON ‘BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR SO FAR,’ #5, JUNE 2011
• VOYA TOP-SHELF FICTION FOR MIDDLE SCHOOLERS, 2011
• A JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD SELECTION
• A CHILDREN’S BOOK-OF-THE-MONTH CLUB SELECTION
• WINNER OF THE “READING THE WEST” BOOK AWARD, 2011
“Classic horror and thriller elements combine with modern touches in Broach’s page-turner, a very promising start to this series.”
– Publishers Weekly, starred review
“With Missing on Superstition Mountain, [Broach] moves to the open country of the American West in a story that pits four intrepid children against the inchoate power of a mountain aswirl with rumor, myth, history and the names of the dead and disappeared.”
– Wall Street Journal
“This engrossing mystery pits three brothers recently transplanted from Chicago against the rocky caverns of Arizona’s Superstition Mountain… Broach reserves plenty of suspicious characters, spooky landscapes and loose ends for the slated sequels, which both boys and girls will savor.”
– School Library Journal
“With the unusual setting, the lure of mystery and adventure, and a certain innocence reminiscent of The Boxcar Children series, the story should find a ready audience.”
– Booklist
Masterpiece
Illustrated by Kelly Murphy
Henry Holt and Company, September 2008
For ages 8-12
Marvin is a beetle living under the kitchen sink in the home of James Pompaday, a lonely eleven-year-old boy. When James gets a pen-and-ink set for his birthday, Marvin secretly surprises him by creating a tiny, detailed drawing, which resembles the work of the great Renaissance artist Albrecht Durer. James gets the credit, and soon the newfound friends are swept up in an art heist at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, risking their lives in a fast-paced mystery about stolen art, forgery, and friendship.
• NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
• E.B. WHITE READ ALOUD AWARD, ASSOCIATION OF BOOKSELLERS FOR CHILDREN
• ALA NOTABLE BOOK
• PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, BEST CHILDREN’S BOOK OF 2008
• WASHINGTON POST, BEST KIDS BOOKS OF THE YEAR, 2008
• A JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD SELECTION
“Broach packs this fast-moving story with perennially seductive themes: hidden lives and secret friendships, miniature worlds lost to disbelievers. Philosophy pokes through, as does art appreciation… but never at the expense of plot.”
– Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Broach’s projection of beetle life… is in the best tradition of Mary Norton’s The Borrowers and similar classic looks at miniature life. A masterpiece of storytelling.”
– School Library Journal, starred review
“With suspense, art history, complex family relationships (human and arthropod), and a resonant friendship, this enjoyable outing will satisfy the reserved and adventurous alike.”
– Booklist
Without really thinking about what he was doing, Marvin crawled to the cap of the bottle and dipped his two front legs in the ink that had pooled inside. On his clean hind legs, he backed over to an unused sheet of paper. He looked out the window at the nightscape of the street: the brownstone oppposite with its rows of darkened windows, the snow-dusted rooftop, the streetlamp, the naked, spidery branches of a single tree. Gently, delicately, and with immense concentration, Marvin lowered his front legs and began to draw.
CLICK HERE FOR Masterpiece Discussion Guide
CLICK HERE FOR Masterpiece Author Comment and Audio Excerpt
Shakespeare’s Secret
Henry Holt and Company, May 2005
For ages 10-14
A Missing diamond. A 500-year-old necklace. A mystery dating back to the time of William Shakespeare.
When Hero starts sixth grade at a new school, she’s less concerned about the literary origins of her Shakespearean name than about the teasing she’s sure to suffer because of it. So she has the same name as a girl in a book by a dusty old author. Hero is simply not interested in the connections. But that’s just the thing: suddenly connections are cropping up all over, and odd characters and uncertain pasts are exactly what do fascinate Hero. There’s a mysterious diamond hidden in her new house, a curious woman next door who seems to know an awful lot about it, and then, well, then there’s Shakespeare. Not to mention Danny Cordova, only the most popular boy in school. Is it all in keeping with her namesake’s origin – just much ado about nothing? Hero, being Hero, is determined to figure it out.
• A JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD SELECTION
• EDGAR AWARD NOMINEE, BEST JUVENILE MYSTERY
• ALA NOTABLE BOOK
• NCTE NOTABLE BOOK IN THE LANGUAGE ARTS
• IRA TEACHERS’ CHOICE
• BOOKSENSE SUMMER PICK
“This is a good choice for recreational reading but also useful as an intro to either the complexities of Shakespeare or the tenets of good mystery writing.”
– School Library Journal
“More linear and traditionally evidence-driven than Blue Balliett’s Chasing Vermeer (2004), this agreeable history-mystery may have even more appeal to budding sleuths.”
– Kirkus, starred review
“Broach writes with an assured sense of family dynamics and middle-school anxieties, and sophisticated readers… will appreciate the true emotions, the rich language, and the revelations of many-layered mysteries that tie the past to the present.”
– Booklist
Hero changed into a T-shirt, grabbed a book, and padded barefoot into her sister’s room. The large windows overlooked the backyard. She could see the moonlight streaming over the trees and bushes, making long, crazy shadows across the grass. Was there a diamond hidden out there somewhere? She looked at Beatrice, already settled under the covers. She wanted to tell her about the Murphys, but at the same time, she didn’t. She wanted to keep the secret. To have something that belonged only to her.
CLICK HERE FOR Shakespeare’s Secret Discussion Guide
Desert Crossing
Henry Holt and Company, May 2006
For ages 13 and up
A dead body on the road—who is responsible and how will it affect the lives of three teens?
For fourteen-year-old Lucy Martinez, the moment when everything changes comes one night during a long car trip with her older brother and his friend Kit. They are driving across northern New Mexico on their way to spend spring break with Lucy’s father when they’re caught in a blinding rainstorm and their car hits something—an animal, they think. But when they backtrack, they find a dead body on the side of the road. Suddenly, Lucy, Jamie, and Kit are trapped in the horror of a police investigation and compounding moral dilemmas. What will happen to the lives of three teenagers who can suddenly no longer pretend innocence?
• PRIX FARNIENTE NOMINEE (BELGIAN LITERARY PRIZE FOR OUTSTANDING TEEN LITERATURE), FRENCH EDITION, La Fille Mirage, 2015
• A TEXAS TAYSHAS 2007-2008 SELECTION
• AMAZON BEST BOOKS OF 2006, TOP TEN EDITORS’ PICKS: TEENS
• PENNSYLVANIA SCHOOL LIBRARIANS’ ASSOCIATION TOP 10 FICTION LIST FOR 2006
• NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY BEST BOOKS FOR THE TEENAGE 2007 SELECTION
“Reluctant readers of both genders will find much to enjoy. The many moral dilemmas, bad decisions, and unexpected twists in the story keep the book moving at a steady pace toward a satisfying and cathartic conclusion… strongly recommended for public and school libraries serving students age twelve and above.”
– VOYA
“A great choice for booktalking to middle and high school students.”
– School Library Journal
“This provocative, often beautiful novel… examines identity, responsibility, intimacy, and the charged, blurry divide between teenagers and adults.”
– Booklist
“Satisfying suspense and self-discovery in the desert.”
– Kirkus
“On the surface, Broach pens a suspenseful page-turner. What lies beneath her masterful storytelling is the loss of innocence and the pain of never being able to return. When the teens are finally able to leave the desert, they realize their once normal lives have become a facade for the secrets they now carry.”
– Book Page
There are some kinds of trouble you never see coming, like those thunderstorms that start from nothing at all. One minute the sky is blue and distant. Then, all of a sudden, it’s dark and thick with clouds, pressing down right on top of you. The leaves turn silvery and twist in the wind, the air starts to hum, and the rain comes, so heavy and fast you can’t even see. You almost never make it to the house on time.