Bubblegum Shoes: The Case of the Contraband Closet

Written by Goldy Moldavsky

Maya Mendoza is all about solving mysteries. Suddenly, the junior high’s contraband closet has been robbed! Maya was going to break into the closet to get everything out for the students and finds the closet is empty. Who stole everything out of the closet? Legion cards, the spray paint, phones, baseball cards, and a signed baseball. Maya is going to solve this mystery. The problem that Maya has with solving mysteries is losing track of the people involved. She tends to jump right in and hurt people’s feelings. She did that with her friend Jordan and lost her friendship. Although Maya does not mean to hurt people, jumping to conclusions can. Can Maya manage to solve this mystery while being respectful to the people involved?

Reviewed by Christie Haslam, Librarian, Gearld Wright Elementary
Review shared in September 2025
Rating: ★★★★✩ (4 stars)
Interest Level: Grades 3-8

Bubblegum Shoes: The Case of the Contraband Closet
Written by Goldy Moldavsky
Random House
214 pages
Release Date: July 1, 2025
ISBN: 978-0-593-81376-8
A review copy was provided by the publisher.