Marvelous Middle Grade Monday - Agatha, Girl of Mystery: The Kenyan Expedition

I enjoy reading mysteries, and it was fun to find one that is suitable for younger readers. After a summer of vacations and erratic schedules, this is a good one for easing back into reading.

A rare species of white giraffe, worshipped by the Masai tribe, has disappeared from the savannah. So Agatha and her cousin Dash head to Africa on their next adventure to help solve the mystery. There, they join forces with a third cousin--a safari expert--to track down the poacher who has stolen the priceless animal.

Agatha, Girl of Mystery: The Kenyan Expedition by Sir Steve Stevenson, illustrated by Stefano Turconi, Grosset & Dunlop, 2015.

My Take:

This is a fun, straightforward mystery for kids who are just starting to become interested in reading mysteries and finding clues. I’ve never read any of this series before, but I liked the detective team of Agatha and her cousin Dash, and their sidekicks Agatha’s butler Chandler and the cat, Watson. Readers who are new to this series might be a bit surprised when the first chapter is about Dash, since Agatha is in the title. This one has the threat of danger and a time pressure to find the giraffe, which keeps the story moving.

As a writer, what I admired about this book was the liveliness and energy. I can see why it would be popular with young readers.

Opening Line:

“In a central-London penthouse packed full of high-tech devices lived Dashiell Mistery, an aspiring detective with a passion for technology.”

Quotes:

“…the shelves of her bedroom were stuffed with notebooks she’d filled up with curious details, plot outlines, and character descriptions.”

“His joke made them laugh so hard that all the birds perched in a nearby acacia took flight.”

“A small but ferocious feline launched itself into the middle of the thundering dust cloud, and the herd of large animals veered off and thundered away.”

Other Info:

Sir Steve Stevenson is the pseudonym for an Italian the pseudonym used by Mario Pasqualotto, an Italian writer who spent many years writing for Italian gaming magazines. His motto is “Every person is a beautiful story.”

The illustrator, Stefano Turconi, lives in Italy.

If you like this one, there are many other books in the Agatha, Girl of Mystery series.


For more middle grade book recommendations, visit Marvelous Middle Grade Monday on Shannon Messenger's blog!