In 2008 Chicago, in the Southside community of Washington Park, Montgomery âMontyâ Carver had hopes for the best summer ever! Unfortunately, things arenât going as planned. Monty is struggling to prove to his parents that heâs old enough to be without adult supervisionâespecially after a very embarrassing incident with a metal detector. Man!
So when Monty finds a golden key in Old Lady Jenkinsâs sunflowers, he decides heâs going to unravel the keyâs mystery all by himself, thank you very much. No parents allowed. Besides, heâs ten years old now, and heâs mastered the perfectly round âfro! (It takes a protractor, you see.)
Soon Montyâs hunt to determine the origin of the key leads him to discover the rich historyâlike famous Black jockeys!âof his Chicago community, which has been speculating its future since one of their residents, Barack Obama, is running for president and the Olympics might come to town in 2016.
On top of all that speculating, there are rumors going around that a ghost is hanging out behind their apartment building, and that Montyâs elementary school may have to close.
So much to solve! Should the Olympics come to Washington Park? What happens if his school closes? Is there really a ghost? And where, oh where, did the key come from anyway? Monty is determined to find out.
"An engaging novel drawing strength from its rich narrative voice and celebrating Black historical luminaries."âKirkus Reviews