Claudeline Feng LeBernardin learns what it really means to be bad in this Edgar Award–nominated colorful and hilarious mystery reminiscent of Harriet the Spy.

Claudeline Feng LeBernardin is very good at being bad. Her Grandpa Si was a real-life gangster, and Claude always thought she’d take over the family business when he was gone. Instead, Claude’s dad is in charge—and she’s sure he’s running things into the ground. She wants to step in, but her parents are keeping secrets and her partner in crime, Fingerless Brett, is suddenly on the straight and narrow.

Then, when a very strange character by the name of Alma Lingonberry shows up in the neighborhood, Claude gets closer to the crime life than ever. Before long, she’s swept up in a maddening mystery that’s got her wondering: What does it really mean to be bad?

In the Brooklyn neighborhood of Sunset Park, eleven-year-old Claudeline Feng LeBernardin hopes to take over the "family business" previously run by her mobster grandfather, but first she must try to uncover a local scam artist and salvage her friendship with her best friend and partner in crime, Fingerless Brett.

"[M]ultiracial Claude heads up a diverse cast of well-formed characters, and the exploration of friendship and family relations is worthwhile. For readers looking for a tough-talking, independent heroine with detective aspirations, this debut is a treat."