The Clueless Guide to Solving a Mystery (Clueless, #1) by Samera Kamaleddine, illustrated by Hykie Breeze

Title: The Clueless Guide to Solving a Mystery (Clueless, #1)

Author: Samera Kamaleddine, illustrated by Hykie Breeze

Genre: Mystery

Publisher: HarperCollins Australia

Published: 28^th April 2026

Format: Paperback

Pages: 256

Price: $17.99

Synopsis: Inspired by personal experience, this is a very fresh and funny MG series by CBCA shortlisted author Samera Kamaleddine.

I didn’t always live with seven old people and one middle-aged cavoodle called Christine …

Claudia Smith’s parents have left her to (temporarily) live with her grandparents at Boonside Heights Retirement Village while they’re away on a once-in-a-lifetime cruise.

The only good thing? The most popular kids at school, Yasmin and Zayn Bassal, have turned up to visit their grandmother.

The not-so-good thing? Orpheus McAdoo, the most annoying kid at school, is hanging around like a bad smell.

When the discovery of a mysterious note has the oldies in a fluster, Claudia sees an opportunity for the unlikely foursome to get together and solve the mystery. There’s just one problem …

They don’t have a single clue.

~*~

Claudia has been (temporarily) living with her grandparents at Boonside Heights Retirement Village while her parent are off on a once-in-a-lifetime cruise. But they’ve been gone much longer than they were meant to be, and Claudia is wondering when they will be back. After all, she is just living with her grandparents temporarily.

But it’s the long weekend, and the Cousins, Zayn and Yasmin are there visiting their grandmother. Orpheus McAdoo, whose grandfather used to live in one of the villas is there too. And they’re all locked in because of the long weekend and public holiday, so nobody can leave the village for anything. Things are boring, calm and subdued. The cousins are annoyed they can’t go to their shopping centre appearances, and Orphi is, well, annoying about everything. He is also hanging around like a bad smell, thinking he and Claudia are best friends. Well, they’re not.

But things start to get interesting when strange notes about things happening in the village, various committees and other things start appearing. They send the oldies into fits of worry, so Claudia decides it’s up to her, Zayn, Yasmin and Orphi (even though she doesn’t really want him around) to find out what is happening.

But how are they going to solve the mystery when they have no idea what they’re doing, Claudia has been roped into Irish step dancing lessons, and everyone has reasons for not speaking to them? Can Claudia get through to someone like Beverly or Joyless Joyce? What does Graeme know, and what other secrets are the residents hiding that might be connected to what is going on? Join Claudia and her Clueless Committee to find out!

The Clueless Guide to Solving A Mystery is the first book in a new series by Samera Kamaleddine. Two generations come together as a community to solve crimes, combat loneliness and prove that age is just a number. Age doesn’t define you, what you can like, or how you feel. Making friends is hard, but finding the friends who will stick by you no matter what is rewarding. Everyone learns something in this book, proving that we’re never too old or too young to learn anything.

It’s a charming book filled with ups and downs, highs and lows, humour and sadness. I felt for Claudia, feeling isolated at times and wanting her parents. She was a very cool character though, and I think this book taught her so many things that even as adults we don’t always realise. It’s a delightful book that allows people to engage with a fun mystery and follows the tropes of an amateur detective mystery but with some charming differences that suit a kids book.

I think this is going to be a fun series, and it will be interesting to see how long Claudia is temporarily living with her grandparents, something she is often reminding the reader of. What kid wouldn’t want to go home to their things after a long time away? Her responses made perfect sense and I hope she has a grand time throughout the series.