Eleven-year-old Cora Flash is ecstatic when she finally convinces her mom to let her take a train ride by herself to visit a relative in the...

Eleven-year-old Cora Flash is ecstatic when she finally convinces her mom to let her take a train ride by herself to visit a relative in the mountains. Once on board, Cora meets a cast of intriguing characters, and stumbles upon her very own mystery: A valuable diamond has gone missing, and only one of her fellow travellers could have stolen it. It's up to our novice detective to solve the crime before the train reaches its destination – or the thief reaches Cora. This is the first book in the 'Cora Flash' series.

Cora Flash and the Diamond of Madagascar is the adorable, middle-grade tale that will have you reminisce of the days when you curled up with your favorite Nancy Drew and a flashlight.

While on her first train trip by herself to visit her Uncle Andre, Cora meets a cast of characters, and a cute little dog by the name of Calvin, that band together to solve the mystery of the stolen Diamond of Madagascar.

This book was such a delight to read an reminded me so much of the books that I read when I was little. It reminded me a lot of the old 1940s train sagas that were so amazing which I think was Daveys' point because he does mention that Cora likes those kind of movies as well.

If you have a kid who is in to really great, cute adventure books, boy or girl, this is a great pick. It's even great if you're like me and want a great read that throws back to the age of Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys!