This is a murder mystery; all murders take place in the past except one. It's not witnessed, but a decomposing body is found. A child and a teen are killed by drowning. A teen and an adult fall to their deaths. More deaths are discussed, some from falling through ice, others through a war bombing, another from a heart attack, another from drunk driving. Also house fires and druggings with sleeping pills and edible weed.
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Many mentions of the Cheesecake Factory and the Stephen King book Carrie, plus one-off mentions of Hoka shoes, Lego, Froot Loops, and Coke.
Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
some
Main character Marlowe doesn't drink or smoke. A supporting character vapes regularly. Mention that the teens who work on Ralston Island take up a collection for weed and booze. Stories told of a drunken post-prom teen party. Teens in the past drank bootleg liquor regularly, and an adult smoked.
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The truth is important, and telling and discovering the truth bring closure and deeper understanding, even if the truth is painful. A minor character observes this about the Ralston patriarch: "Tyrants and those who ascribe to tyrannical beliefs are always weak at heart because they build their world on fear." Underneath the murder mystery is a cautionary tale about what's wrong with eugenics beliefs and any quest to build and be the "perfect" family at all costs.
Positive Role Models
a lot
Marlowe has a moment of outstanding integrity when she accidentally sets fire to a house, confesses, and deals with the consequences. Despite all of her relatable teen fears about feeling like an outcast, she steps up and shows curiosity and courage to find out the truth about murders, past and present. All the teens, with almost no supervision, show professionalism and teamwork while hosting tours on Ralston Island for the summer.
Diverse Representations
a lot
LGBTQ+ representation among both main and supporting characters. Marlowe, Riki, and Akila are lesbians; Van is gay; and three deceased characters are described as bisexual, gay, and lesbian. One teacher uses they/them pronouns. Marlowe never assumes pronouns as she describes new people she meets, sticking to they/them in her mind until a character indicates their own identity. Some racial diversity as well: Riki is Indian/Southeast Asian, and Akila is Black. Women have roles as professors and gifted scholars and artists in the present and past timelines. The Ralston family is blended, with six adopted children, a father, a stepmom, and a young biological son of the father and stepmother.
Many details about the Thousand Islands area of the St. Lawrence River between Upstate New York and Canada, including how bootleggers used it as a route to get liquor to the States during Prohibition. Discussions on the rise of eugenics as a school of thought in the United States and why it was such a dangerous ideology. Additional historical touchpoints mentioned, including the death of two princes in the Tower of London in 1483 (included in the discussion of The Daughter of Time mystery by Josephine Tey), World War II bombings in London, and the A.I.D.S. crisis.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Death at Morning House is an absorbing mystery by Maureen Johnson, author of the popular Truly Devious series. Like that series, this book features older teen characters investigating murders and is meant for mature teen readers. Language isn't constant but includes use of "f--k," and there's teen drinking and vaping (thought main character Marlowe doesn't do either). While there's plenty of talk of hook-ups and cheating in the past, there are only a couple of kisses in the story. The book's LGBTQ+ representation is solid: Marlowe is a lesbian, and other characters in both the 2020s and 1930s timelines are lesbian, gay, and bisexual. As for the murders at the heart of the plot, all take place in the past except one; it's not witnessed, but a decomposing body is later found. A child and a teen are killed by drowning, and a teen and an adult fall to their deaths. More deaths are discussed, some from falling through ice, others through a war bombing, another from a heart attack, and another from drunk driving. There are also house fires, and druggings with sleeping pills and edible weed. Fans of the Cheesecake Factory and Moose Tracks ice cream will be desperate for both after all of the mentions they get.
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What's the Story?
In DEATH AT MORNING HOUSE, Marlowe is busy working at an ice cream parlor for the summer and finally gets up the nerve to ask out her crush, Akila. Everything goes perfectly on their date—until Marlowe invites Akila to a place she housesits and a candle explodes and burns down half the house. Marlowe is sure she'll spend the rest of the season moping in her room, until she's offered a job as a tour guide on Ralston Island in the St. Lawrence River. It's an idyllic place with a mansion called Morning House at its center—the summer home of an eccentric family that never returned after two of their children died on the same day in 1932. Naturally, then, tourists are drawn there. So are the teen tour guides who Marlowe will be working with all summer, all of them friends who grew up together, and all of them mourning the loss of their friend Chris, who drowned on an adjacent island the night of prom. As the story shifts from Marlowe's perspective back in time to that of the Ralston teens, dangerous secrets and likely suspects begin to emerge.
Teen summer murder mysteries don't get much more absorbing than this gem featuring a lesbian protagonist, suspicious deaths in two timelines, and an idyllic island mansion setting. Well, idyllic except for the creepy underground bathrooms. And except for all of the tension among the teens Marlowe meets, who share the loss of a friend who drowned on prom night and a lot of relationship baggage besides. Marlowe makes for a great outsider who's brought low before her arrival. Everyone knows she's the girl who burned a house down. And readers knows how important the truth is to her, even if it—heh—really burns. When she literally stumbles into a clue to one murder, Marlowe begins to unravel the others under quite dramatic circumstances. Not to give away any spoilers, but as the story is set on an island, there's no easier place to get trapped with no way out except prison.
And then there's the 1930s timeline, which really anchors Death at Morning House and adds fascinating layers. Through interspersed chapters mostly from the perspective of Dr. Ralston's teen children, readers learn about the patriarch's obsessions with eugenics, natural foods, and controlling the family's daily routine. And we learn about the quiet rebellions when Dr. Ralston isn't looking. There are plenty of whos and whys to speculate over as we anxiously await the two Ralston deaths. The only thing lacking in this mystery—and which author Maureen Johnson's Truly Devious series does so well—is fuller portraits of her eccentric characters. We could have used more time especially in the heads of Marlowe, Riki, and the female Ralston teens.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Marlowe's integrity in Death at Morning House. When she burns a house down by accident, she confesses right away and deals with the consequences because she doesn't like to lie. How do difficult truths set free all characters of both the present and past in this story?
Teens drink and vape in this story, to party and celebrate, to rebel from a controlling father, and to self-medicate after a loss. Who in the story is affected the most by substance (ab)use? How do substances play into the murder investigations?
The Truly Devious series all featured Stevie Bell as the teen detective. Would you read more about Marlowe, the budding teen detective?
Available on:
Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
Last updated:
August 28, 2024
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