RUBY FINLEY IS A SCIENCE GENIUS.

When eleven-year-old Ruby finds the weirdest bug she’s ever seen in her front yard, she does what any young entomologist would do: She quickly captures it for further study.

But this insect is not your average bug. It doesn’t appear in any of Ruby’s reference books, and no online experts can identify it. Before Ruby can celebrate discovering a new species, the bug escapes. Soon, odd things go missing around

town, and no one’s heard from the cranky old lady down the block for nearly a week. Where did this weird insect come from, where did it go, and why has everything gone sideways? If she wants answers, Ruby will have to use her best

tools—her brain, the scientific method, and a crew of neighborhood friends—to catch the strange bug before the feds do.

K. Tempest Bradford’s middle grade debut is an action-packed backyard mystery full of true friendship, strange adventure, and kids getting into the best kind of trouble.