Open main menu

Changes

Created page with "{{infobox |title=The Curse of the Pampered Poodle: Mariella Mystery 4 |sort=Curse of the Pampered Poodle: Mariella Mystery 4, The |author=Kate Pankhurst |reviewer=Louise Jones..."
{{infobox
|title=The Curse of the Pampered Poodle: Mariella Mystery 4
|sort=Curse of the Pampered Poodle: Mariella Mystery 4, The
|author=Kate Pankhurst
|reviewer=Louise Jones
|genre=Confident Readers
|rating=4
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|isbn=9781444008944
|pages=144
|publisher=Orion
|date=April 2014
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1444008943</amazonuk>
|amazonus=<amazonus>1444008943</amazonus>
|website=http://www.katepankhurst.com/
|video=5jWljkgBTqU
|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.
}}
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 by Kate Pankhurst|Mariella Mystery investigates: The Ghostly Guinea Pig]]

{{amazontext|amazon=1444008943}}
{{commenthead}}