Fleatectives: Case of the Stolen Nectar by Jonny Zucker
| Fleatectives: Case of the Stolen Nectar by Jonny Zucker | |
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| Category: Confident Readers | |
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Reviewer: Ruth Ng
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| Summary: The start of a slippery slope into the addictive world of crime fiction! | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 128 | Date: February 2014 |
| Publisher: Scholastic | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 9781407136943 | |
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I like a good crime story. It probably all began for me with Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh and the excitement of her creeping around in other people's houses, trying to figure out what was going on. It wasn't much longer after that that I fell in love with Poirot, and I love the feeling whenever I'm in the crime section of the library that there will always be more new stories to read, it's such a full and varied genre. Here is a new detective series for children about a couple of fleas who are detectives, ready to solve crimes, and the very first one that they face is quite a challenge!
Someone has been stealing all the nectar. The bees are in a buzz! One hive is blaming another hive and although the Sheriff is investigating, Buzz and Itch decide to take the case on themselves to try and figure out what exactly is going on. How will they manage to figure out the truth of what's happened? And will they manage to do it without being crushed to death by the bees?
This is a good story for those growing in confidence in their reading. The book is divided into chapters, but they're not too long so as to be daunting yet still they're long enough for the book to feel more like a slightly grown-up book and not an early reader. I thought the style was interesting. It does read like an adult crime novel at times, but it's light-hearted too, making it a fun read. Buzz is the straight man of the operation, whilst Itch is the rather silly sidekick. I liked the dynamics between them. There's a definite appeal for male readers, but I don't think girls would find it unduly off-putting so hopefully it will hit a broad audience.
The story is illustrated throughout with black and white drawings. The drawings are fun and give a flavour of what all the various different characters are like. There's also a different puzzle at the end of each chapter, ranging from word searches to anagrams to spot the difference. This felt like a fun way to break up the story. There are also various 'Fleatastic Facts' sprinkled throughout the book, giving you fascinating facts about some of the insects appearing in the stories. Did you know fleas can jump vertically 18 centimetres, and horizontally they can jump 33 centimetres! This is an enjoyable read and worth a look. The Bookbag has also been lucky enough to see another book in the series - Fleatectives: Case of the Missing Glow-worms which continues the adventures of Buzz and Itch in the same, fun way!
You might also enjoy reading Wilma Tenderfoot and the Case of the Frozen Hearts by Emma Kennedy or Kate on the Case by Hannah Peck.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Fleatectives: Case of the Stolen Nectar by Jonny Zucker 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 Fleatectives: Case of the Stolen Nectar by Jonny Zucker at Amazon.com.
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