Wilma Tenderfoot and the Case of the Rascal's Revenge by Emma Kennedy
| Wilma Tenderfoot and the Case of the Rascal's Revenge by Emma Kennedy | |
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| Category: Confident Readers | |
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Reviewer: Ruth Ng
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| Summary: A funny, romping adventure - lots of action and tissues required...get comfy, you won't want to put it down! | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 304 | Date: August 2011 |
| Publisher: Macmillan's Children's Books | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-0330535236 | |
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Wilma Tenderfoot, assistant to the great Detective Theodore P. Goodman, is off to solve another case with the help of her loving dog, Pickle. The future of Copper Island hangs in the balance, and Wilma thinks it's possible that she may just yet discover who her parents really are...make sure you're sitting comfortably, you won't want to put this one down!
This is the fourth book about Wilma, and it felt a little bit like the end of the series as we see an awful lot of story lines resolved in this story. Wilma is busy learning the ways of how to be a detective, aided by her faithful friend Pickle the Beagle. She's continuing in her quest to find her parents and with a new clue finally feels that perhaps she'll be able to make some headway. Meanwhile there's a mysterious masked man inciting the villains of Lowside into action, and of course Barbu D'anvers is up to his old troublesome tricks.
As in the first book in the series there's lots of zany humour. The authorial asides sneak in throughout and I especially enjoyed the author's encouragements at the end of each chapter to keep reading or discussing how dire the situation is looking for various characters! The world Emma Kennedy has created reminds me somewhat of a child's version of Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels with recognisable elements and then sudden flights of fantasy thrown into the mix too. Cooper Island is similar, in some ways, to England...but then there's the silly side too, such as their method of choosing a new leader which they do by a ten yearly tombola draw! Actually, thinking about it, maybe we should try that instead of the Alternative Vote!
There's an interesting situation with Janty, Barbu D'anvers' assistant, who hails from Lowside but who Wilma suspects of being good at heart and just waiting for the chance to escape from Barbu. I really liked the way his storyline plays out although it also leads to a rather sad moment in the book. I won't spoil for you but be warned, you may need a tissue. And as I mentioned, lots of loose ends get tied up with this book (including the discovery of what the 'P' in Mr Goodman's name stands for) so I'm wondering if this completes Wilma's adventures...it's a good ending, if that is the case, although I don't see why she couldn't go on to have yet more adventures.
It's a fun story to read, and if your children won't let you read it aloud as a bedtime story then you might just want to sneak it off their table after they've fallen asleep so you can peek at what's going on! I like the silliness, and I'm personally especially fond of Inspector Lemone and of course Pickles. As for the case they're investigating, I was occasionally confused as to who was doing what, but that might just have been because I kept on reading late into the night so I could see what happened! I didn't guess the ending anyway, so I was hooked throughout. Great for confident readers around 8 years and older.
I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.
Further reading suggestion:
Start from the beginning - this is where Wilma's adventures begin!
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You can read more book reviews or buy Wilma Tenderfoot and the Case of the Rascal's Revenge by Emma Kennedy 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 Wilma Tenderfoot and the Case of the Rascal's Revenge by Emma Kennedy at Amazon.com.
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