This is the fifth book in the series featuring the sparky
nine and bit year old girl detective called Mariella Mystery created by Kate
Pankhurst. The book is written in the form of Mariella’s super sleuth journal which
allows for lots of fun with the page layout and for the use of lots of Kate’s lively
illustrations.
In this adventure Mariella is on a camping holiday with her
family and fellow Mystery Girls, Poppy Holmes and Violet Maple. Also coming
along for the holiday is The Peanut aka Pippa Patterson best friend of Mariella’s
annoying younger brother, Arthur. They pitch up at Limpet Rocks campsite and
begin to sweep the campsite for ‘mysterious avenues.’ Salty Bay is a place
where ‘The shops are all really old and the shopkeepers seem totally bored.’
Just when it seems that nothing is going happen a mysterious creature appears
and makes off with the spaghetti pan! Is there really a spaghetti loving yeti
hiding in the woods?
What made this story stand out for me was the quality of the
writing. I have read so many book aimed at this age group that uses limited vocabulary,
tries to be too jokey or too reliant on the illustrations to carry the plotline.
There are some great characters in this story too. I loved
Olga De Bouffet and Mr Roads. Kate Pankhurst also beautifully portrayed the
tensions of a seaside town when a new business sets up. A funny and warm story.
A Mariella Mystery story would make a great Christmas present.
Published by Orion books
ISBN 978-1-4440-1230-9
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