Mystery is my favourite genre and I absolutely devour them! I love the suspense, building a suspect list and looking for those little clues amidst the bigger picture. I rarely get it right but find the stories fascinating and fun to read.
I have read several of Alexandra Benedict’s adult mysteries and they are so well planned and written. As soon as I spotted her first middle grade mystery, I had a feeling it would be a great one.
Coming in at under 230 pages, it is an intense and fast paced story with several murders taking place in a short span of time. I think the book spans ten days in total and there is plenty of action, guessing and thinking to do in that time.
Brooke is new to Wood Dean school and during her tour, she meets the rather unlikeable Head Dr Buxted. He seems to be grumpy and many of the staff are not fans of his. Brooke is autistic and anxious so is lucky to have a support dog, Buoy, by her side. When Buoy barks at a mince pie, the first clue is set in motion.
Brooke meets Robyn, Nisha, Mikey and Kellan at their after school club, NeuroKind. She is immediately welcomed and finally feels a positive connection with other kids. They are all neurodivergent and wear their talents and skills with growing confidence in the face of misunderstandings and unfair treatments from others in the school.
The five form tight bonds and work together to figure out what is happening in their school. It is a well planned mystery and will certainly have children guessing as they read. I thought it aaa brilliant!
My Shelves Are Full 