Parents & Teachers

Welcome to Hidden Grove

The Pallet Club Crew is a middle-grade mystery series set in the rural town of Hidden Grove, where five friends build a clubhouse from old pallets and start solving the kinds of problems adults overlook—or don’t want to notice. The tone is funny, clever, and fast, with a light spooky edge that keeps pages turning without crossing into “too scary.”

Recommended for: ages 8–13 (upper elementary through middle school)

What’s Inside

Kid-friendly mystery, real stakes

Each story follows the Crew as they chase clues, test theories, and learn to work together when things get tense. The mysteries are written to feel “spooky,” but the heart of the series is always friendship, courage, and common sense.

A consistent structure kids love

Each book is built in 13 chapters, with Chapter 13 serving as a short debrief where the characters reflect on what they learned and why it mattered.

Content & Sensitivity Notes

This series is designed to be family-friendly and appropriate for classrooms.

You can expect:

• Mild spooky elements (cemetery setting, whispers, shadowy “is it the wind or not?” moments)

• Mild peril (kids get scared, chased, or pressured—but not graphic)

• No explicit violence, gore, or sexual content

• No profanity (or kept very mild, depending on edition)

If your student is sensitive to spooky imagery (cemeteries, nighttime exploration, ominous rumors), you may want to preview a chapter first—but most readers handle it as “goosebumps-lite” mystery fun.

Why Teachers Use It

The Pallet Club Crew naturally supports:

• Inference & evidence: characters make guesses, test them, and revise

• Cause and effect: small choices lead to bigger consequences

• Character growth: kids learn trust, teamwork, and responsibility

• Discussion-ready morals: debrief chapter makes reflection easy

Themes You’ll See Repeated

• Friendship under pressure

• Honesty vs. secrets

• Courage (and what courage actually looks like)

• Community, reputation, and “small town stories”

• Doing the right thing even when it’s inconvenient

Classroom & Library-Friendly Use Ideas

Quick activities (10–15 minutes)

• Clue Log: Students list 3 clues + what each clue could mean (multiple interpretations encouraged).

• Suspect Board: Who benefits? Who knows what? Who’s lying—and why?

• Setting Snapshot: Describe Hidden Grove like a movie scene (sounds, smells, weather, mood).

Longer activities (30–60 minutes)

• Write a New Clue: Add one clue that fits the canon and doesn’t break the mystery.

• Debrief Rewrite: Students write their own Chapter 13 debrief using a different moral lens.

• Map the Case: Students draw a mini-map of the key locations and plot the route of the investigation.

Discussion Questions (Book Club / Classroom)

1. What is the difference between a clue and a coincidence in this story?

2. Which character makes the best detective decisions? Which makes the boldest choices?

3. When does curiosity become risk—and how do the kids manage that line?

4. What rules should the Crew follow to stay safe, and which rules do they break?

5. Which adult character helps the most? Which adult makes things harder (on purpose or by accident)?

6. What would you have done differently in the Crew’s place—and why?

7. How does the setting (creek, woods, cemetery, small town roads) change the mood of the mystery?

8. What role do secrets play in the conflict? Who keeps them, and what does it cost?

9. What does the Crew learn that they didn’t know at the start—about the town or about each other?

10. What do you think is happening “behind the scenes” in Hidden Grove that the kids haven’t discovered yet?

Writing Prompts

• Write a scene where the Crew finds a clue that looks ordinary—but isn’t.

• Write a chapter ending “cliffhanger” that’s spooky but still age-appropriate.

• Create a new character in Hidden Grove: What do they know, and what are they hiding?

• Write a short debrief: “What did the Crew learn today, and what should they do next time?”

Want a Printable Teacher Packet?

Email admin@palletclubcrew.com and we can send a simple printable set:
discussion questions, vocabulary list, and a clue-log worksheet.