A lively, diverse mystery with enjoyable, informative plotting and a relatable young female protagonist. --KIRKUS REVIEWS
Fina Mendoza is the 10-year-old daughter of a congressman who solves mysteries in the U.S. Capitol with the help of a big orange dog named Senator Something.
Her latest case: find the mysterious bird that pooped on the president's head during the
State of the Union address. Is it Chickcharney, the legendary bird from the Caribbean? Did it fly to Washington D.C. with a secret message for the president? Or Congress? Or is the message for Fina from her mom who passed away not so many months ago?
While Fina searches for clues, readers are introduced to the inner workings of American democracy, including a congressional battle over immigration reform. There's another battle in her multigenerational home when Fina's grandmother is nearly arrested at an immigration protest.
Also available in Spanish! Look for Estado de la Unión by Kitty Felde, translated by Jorge Flores González.
A great series for CIVICS EDUCATION
Teachers, Librarians, and Homeschoolers, the Fina Mendoza Mysteries Series of Books and Podcasts provide a multidisciplinary approach to civics education for elementary school readers. As our amateur detective learns about the U.S. legislative branch, the electoral process, and civic engagement - and solves mysteries on Capitol Hill after school - your students learn through the series' multimedia sources.
THE WEST WING meets NANCY DREWFREE DOWNLOADABLE CURRICULUM AVAILABLE:
- Build reading skills while teaching integrated lessons in:
- ELA, social studies, and history designed for grades 3-5 Common Core Standards
- NCSS curriculum standards, C3 Social Studies Readiness
- California Public Schools' History-Social Science content standards.
- Promote deeper learning through:
- active engagement
- reading comprehension
- content knowledge
- creative and analytical thinking
- Designed for use by elementary school teachers, parents, homeschoolers, scout leaders, and community educators.
INTERACTIVE COMPONENTS AND MULTIMEDIA SOURCES:
- Helps address students' diverse learning needs and supports the use of technology in the classroom.
- The Fina Mendoza Mysteries FREE podcast is based on the books and current events.
- The "Facts Behind the Fiction" blog and newsletter offer historical and civics context for both the books and podcast.
Introduce civics to your students with The Fina Mendoza Mysteries series!
THE FINA MENDOZA MYSTERIES SERIES: Book 1 -
Welcome to Washington Fina Mendoza Book 2 -
State of the Union: A Fina Mendoza Mystery Book 3 -
Snake in the Grass (coming Spring 2025)
Novella -
Losing is Democratic: How to Talk to Kids About January 6th Podcast -
The Fina Mendoza Mysteries ALSO AVAILABLE IN SPANISH: Libro 1 -
Bienvenida a Washington Fina Mendoza Libro 2 -
Estado de la Unión: Un Misterio de Fina Mendoza
Libro 3 -
Serpiente en la Hierba (Otoño 2025)
For fans of The Secret Lake, Greenglass House, and "The Mysterious Benedict Society" and "National Park Mystery Series" as well as classic books and detective series like The Westing Game, Boxcar Children, Encyclopedia Brown, The Virginia Mysteries, and Hardy Boys.
Felde, Kitty: - "Award-winning public radio journalist and TEDx speaker Kitty Felde hosts the Book Club for Kids podcast - named one of the top 10 kidcasts in the world by The Times of London. The native Angeleno created the Washington bureau for Southern California Public Radio. She's reported on everything from war crimes trials to OJ Simpson to baseball, and hosted a daily talk show in Los Angeles. She won the Los Angeles Radio Journalist of the Year award three times from the Society of Professional Journalists and the L.A. Press Club. Her many plays are performed worldwide.Kitty is also executive producer of The Fina Mendoza Mysteries podcast, based on the series of Fina Mendoza books.She fell in love with literature for young readers when she was a young reader herself, working at her local public library."
