The Midnight Mystery (Dotty Detective, Book 3) by Clara Vulliamy
| The Midnight Mystery (Dotty Detective, Book 3) by Clara Vulliamy | |
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| Category: Emerging Readers | |
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Reviewer: John Lloyd
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| Summary: A very quick adventure for those choosing their reading for the first time, but whatever reluctance they do this with will be met by a flurry of sugary exuberance. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 140 | Date: January 2017 |
| Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Books | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 9780008132422 | |
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If you haven't already, meet Dot. She's an ace child detective, inspired by her favourite TV programme, and her pet dog and best friend from school. But at least one of those is left behind this time, as Dot and the rest of her class go to an adventure camp playground for a couple of nights. Daytimes are spent being sporty and adventurous, as are the evenings supposed to be, but someone seems intent on ruining things for Dot. What is the evil and bragging Laura up to?
This is a taut, petite adventure for the under-eights. Nobody older than that need apply, but every age range deserves the best books they can get, and this is pretty much bang on the button for those taking their own selections off the shelf for the first time. To me, it seemed – even when it took me twenty minutes max – to be a little too much filler, as if this was the first in a series and we needed everything explaining, rather than the third book it actually is. But to those who are new to reading such books, or for those who read with reluctance if at all, this is great.
The pages are certainly lively. An aged story of a young bear made a late newcomer to this series out of me, seeking the characterful illustrative art this author/creator can give, but a lot of the imagery here is cartoonish, and only every dozen pages or so do we get a really crafted picture. But when the page is at its most verbose I doubt there are fifty words on it, and everywhere you get font size changes, and so on. I have no idea why some pages are school maths books, adorned with background grids, and others at random not, but heck, the kinetic action of the eye on the page will only be mirrored by the hand turning the story on. Everything here moves at a lickety-split pace, and for this age range that's no bad thing. Yes, older readers will discard this promptly, but for a few key years they will look on this perfectly safe, friendly and intelligent series with great fondness.
I must thank the publishers for my review copy.
The same author worked with her mother on Dixie O'Day in the Fast Lane by Shirley Hughes and Clara Vulliamy, so you can read both and see how the baton has been passed.
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You can read more book reviews or buy The Midnight Mystery (Dotty Detective, Book 3) by Clara Vulliamy 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 Midnight Mystery (Dotty Detective, Book 3) by Clara Vulliamy at Amazon.com.
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