James Ponti's NEWEST addition!!

Why The Hurricane Heist by James Ponti Is a Must-Have for Middle Grade Classrooms This Fall

📘 Coming September 2, 2025

James Ponti continues to masterfully combine edge-of-your-seat storytelling with heart, humor, and real-world smarts in The Hurricane Heist, the second book in The Sherlock Society series. If you’re an educator searching for a high-interest read that inspires curiosity, celebrates teamwork, and supports critical thinking—this one belongs front and center on your bookshelf this school year.

🧠 What It's About (No Spoilers!)

In The Hurricane Heist, the Sherlock Society is back—and this time, they're on the trail of a missing painting that vanished decades ago during a hurricane. With a storm brewing off the coast and secrets swirling through the town, the team must use their brains, bravery, and bond to crack a new case while facing nature's fury and human deception alike.

📚 Why It Belongs in Your Classroom

Smart Kids Solving Big Problems
Ponti empowers middle grade readers by showing kids as capable investigators. The protagonists are clever, observant, and empathetic—a great model for how intelligence comes in many forms.
Real-World STEM + Humanities Connections
This mystery weaves together art history, meteorology, and technology. It’s a perfect tie-in for interdisciplinary units that connect science, social studies, and language arts.
Relatable Characters from Diverse Backgrounds
The cast reflects the world students live in—diverse, inclusive, and full of complex stories. Every reader can find someone to root for.
Promotes Inquiry and Critical Thinking
As the kids follow clues, students are challenged to think deductively and draw connections—just like real detectives and scientists.

💬 Life Lessons for Young Readers

Teamwork Makes the Difference: The Sherlock Society doesn’t succeed because one kid is the smartest—it’s their collaboration, trust, and communication that solves the case.
Weathering the Storm—Literally and Figuratively: With a hurricane threatening their town, this story reminds readers about staying calm under pressure and being prepared for life’s unexpected challenges.
Art Matters: The missing painting becomes more than a mystery—it opens conversations about preservation, memory, and the stories behind what we create and protect.

🧑‍🏫 Teaching Ideas & Activities

Weather + Writing: Use the hurricane backdrop to explore weather systems and natural disasters, then have students write short survival stories or create emergency preparedness kits.
Mystery Mapping: Students can create a clue board and timeline of events as they read—great for tracking plot and inferring character motives.
Art Heist Debates: What makes art valuable? Should lost art always be returned? Host a Socratic seminar or persuasive writing assignment on these themes.
Detective Journals: As students read, encourage them to keep a detective journal—writing down questions, predictions, and new clues to stay engaged and build reading stamina.

🏁 Final Word

James Ponti understands what middle graders love: excitement, mystery, and characters who feel like friends. But more than that, The Hurricane Heist builds real-world skills—teamwork, resilience, problem-solving—all while keeping kids hooked from chapter one.

Preorder it now, mark your calendars for September 2, and get ready to add this fast-paced, classroom-ready read to your curriculum. Your students will thank you.

Praise for The Sherlock Society series:
★ “A must-read. Ponti has crafted a delightful tale that combines humor, history, and heart into one captivating adventure.” — School Library Journal, starred review
★ “With an eye for atmosphere, history, and lively humor, Ponti brings the South Florida setting, as well as its quick-witted inhabitants, to vivid life, making for a worthy successor to classic kid mysteries that’s entertaining, educational, and exciting.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review
“An environmental mystery featuring lots of clever detecting, a bit of danger, and real felonies to investigate.” — Kirkus Reviews

JAMES PONTI’S HURRICANE HEIST TOUR

09.02.25 at 5:30 PM

Books & Books (Coral Gables, FL)

In conversation with Christina Diaz Gonzalez

09.03.25 at 6:00 PM

Little Shop of Stories (Decatur, GA)

In conversation with Laurel Snyder

09.04.25 at 6:00 PM

Nannie J. Lee Memorial Recreation Center (Alexandria, VA)

In conversation with Jason Reynolds

09.05.25 at 6:30 PM

Parnassus Books (Nashville, TN)

In conversation with Christina Soontornvat

09.06.25 at 6:00 PM

An Unlikely Story (Plainville, MA)

In conversation with J. A. Dauber

09.14.25 at 2:00 PM

Barnes & Noble - Plaza Venezia (Orlando, FL)