The fifth thrilling tale in the Mighty Muskrats mystery series, The Case of the Pilfered Pin by Michael Hutchinson begins the conversations about land rights and the land back movement.

The Mighty Muskrats have been called to duty once again to help the people of Windy Lake settle a dispute over land claims. The gang has taken on the case of the pilfered pin, a surveyor’s pin that determines the boundary of the Windy Lake reservation and Canadian land. In the process they find a second case that deserves just as much attention.

Michael Hutchinson uses this story to help readers better understand the land back movement and what that means for everyone who shares Turtle Island. I loved how the mystery to solve was that of the boundary between the Canadian land and the Reservation land and how First Nations can fight for their land rights. It was so interesting to learn a little more, in a simplified way of course given the middle grade status of the novel but a way that made the complicated issue easier to understand.

As always the cousins are questioning, learning and teaching readers how to be respectful and learn about things that are important to Indigenous people in 2024. Although the tale wasn’t as suspenseful as some of the other mysteries, this story left a lot of room for readers to get that thrill of solving a mystery and guessing who done it while also grasping contemporary themes that will help them learn, question and empathize with an issue that affects many people in the country.