True Crime Files: Heist at the Museum!: The Greatest Jewel Heist in U.S. History

A fast-paced, high-stakes MG action-adventure that fuses the suspense of I Survived with the intrigue of a historical true-crime caper—the real 1964 American Museum of Natural History jewel theft—into a adrenaline charged page-turner with cinematic action and a heartfelt family arc.

A taut museum caper stuffed with kid-friendly history, True Crime: Heist at the Museum drops readers into the real October 1964 theft of the Star of India at New York’s American Museum of Natural History. Charlie O’Neill, still grieving his mom and missing his dad’s attention, overhears surfers-turned-burglars plotting “the heist of the century.” No one believes him—so Charlie does what middle-grade heroes do best: he investigates. What follows is a breathless night of closed iron gates, cut glass, a swaying rope five stories up, and a choice that complicates right and wrong. Rich back matter clarifies exactly what’s true (a lot), what’s fictional (Charlie’s family), who the real thieves were, how the gems traveled, and what was recovered. Illustrated throughout, this is perfect for fans of mystery, history, and museum lore—plus any reader who loves saying, “Wait…that really happened?”