The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels

Published in 2023, Beth Lincoln’s The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels is a middle grade mystery novel and the first installment of the Swifts series. The story follows Shenanigan Swift, a mischievous girl from a family where names are chosen from a dictionary and are believed to define one’s destiny. During a family reunion at their ancestral home, a series of suspicious events, including the injury of the family matriarch, leads Shenanigan to investigate the mysteries surrounding her eccentric relatives. The story combines wordplay, humor, and a classic whodunit, exploring themes of self-determination, tradition, and greed. The New York Times best-selling novel won a Barnes & Noble Children’s Book Award and a Librarian Favorites Award.

This guide refers to the e-book edition published by Penguin Random House in 2023.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of death, graphic violence, animal cruelty.

Plot Summary

Shenanigan Swift lives at her family’s estate with Uncle Maelstrom, her older sister Phenomena, her eldest sister Felicity, a woman named Cook, and the family matriarch, Aunt Schadenfreude. In early May, Aunt Inheritance, who is tasked with preserving the family’s history, calls for a Swift family reunion. The traditional reunion doubles as a treasure hunt for the fortune that belonged to Vile Swift, who lived during the 1600s.