The Curse of the Pampered Poodle: Mariella Mystery 4 by Kate Pankhurst

The Curse of the Pampered Poodle: Mariella Mystery 4 by Kate Pankhurst
Buy The Curse of the Pampered Poodle: Mariella Mystery 4 by Kate Pankhurst at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: Confident Readers
Reviewer: Louise Jones
Summary: Mariella and her gang, the 'Mystery Girls' investigate reports of a cursed poodle in a museum that brings bad luck to anyone who insults it.
Buy? Yes	Borrow? Yes
Pages: 144	Date: April 2014
Publisher: Orion
External links: Author's website
ISBN: 9781444008944
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In this latest instalment of the popular Mariella Mystery series, the Mystery girls are off for a sleepover at the local museum to investigate some decidedly strange goings-on involving a stuffed poodle called Misty. If reports are to be believed, bad luck seems to follow this cursed canine everywhere, leaving death and disaster in her wake. It is said that anyone who insults Misty will hear a loud bark and then be plagued with bad luck as the infamous curse strikes again.

Mariella and her friends Poppy Holmes and Violet Maple are keen to discover whether there is any truth in the curse legend, or whether there is something more sinister behind the weird happenings at the museum. Things start to get really spooky and even level-headed Mariella starts to wonder if there can be a logical explanation to the curse.

The Curse of the Pampered Poodle is certain to delight young girls with its amusing storyline and lively artwork. Mariella fills the book with her case notes, random scribblings and excerpts from books and newspapers that have a bearing on her investigation, so there is always something exciting to look at on every page. The story is fast paced and intriguing, leaving the reader desperate to turn to the final page to discover 'whodunit' and why (sorry, I couldn’t help myself).

Mariella is a likeable character and a safe, gentle introduction to the mystery genre, no doubt inspiring the next generation of wannabe detectives. The only thing I found irksome was the frequent use of the capitalized words AMAZING, HUGE and TOTALLY, which seemed to pop up in bold type every few pages or so, but this is unlikely to bother the target audience of pre-teen girls.

This is an exciting series, with almost unlimited potential for future adventures and I will be interested to see what mystifying mayhem Pankhurst next has in store for the Mystery Girls. Many thanks to the publishers for my review copy.

For more Mystery Girl mayhem, try Mariella Mystery investigates: The Ghostly Guinea Pig

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You can read more book reviews or buy The Curse of the Pampered Poodle: Mariella Mystery 4 by Kate Pankhurst at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy The Curse of the Pampered Poodle: Mariella Mystery 4 by Kate Pankhurst at Amazon.com.

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