View source for The Disappearing Dinner Lady (Mariella Mystery) by Kate Pankhurst

{{infobox1
|title=The Disappearing Dinner Lady (Mariella Mystery)
|sort=Disappearing Dinner Lady (Mariella Mystery)
|author= Kate Pankhurst
|reviewer= Louise Jones
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary= Can Mariella find out what happened to the missing dinner lady? And why are all the children coming down with itchy rashes?
|rating=4.5
|buy=yes
|borrow=yes
|pages=176
|publisher=Orion Children's Books
|date=July 2015
|isbn=9781444012347
|website=http://www.katepankhurst.com
|video=5jWljkgBTqU
|cover=1444012347
|aznuk=1444012347
|aznus=1444012347
}}

Mariella has to admit it: the school dinners have been much better lately. When Big G was in charge, vegetable mush was the order of the day, but since the 'Ladies Who Lunch' agency have been supplying the meals, they have been serving up heavenly dishes like 'Monday Munchie Madness', 'Princess Pie' and 'Pirate Pasta Bake'. The mystery girls love the new menu, but even more than that, they love the new dinner lady, Diana Dumpling. When Diana goes missing in mysterious circumstances, Mariella and her friends are on the case to discover what really happened to their favourite dinner lady.

''The Disappearing Dinner Lady'' is another entertaining tale in the Mariella Mystery series and is set against the backdrop of the upcoming school play, the Princess and the Pea. The book is written in the familiar quirky style, complete with extracts from Mariella's diaries, operations notes, hints and tips and very funny illustrations.

The accompanying illustrations really compliment the text and help us to see Mariella's thought processes as she tries to unravel the mystery. It may be a kid's book, but there are plenty of references to make parents chuckle too, including a disgraced children's chef called Arabella Flump, who may or may not bear something of a resemblance to a certain celebrity...

Pankhurst plays to her target audience and young tween girls will love it. The female lead characters are strong, clever and confident and young readers will be able to relate to them. I also liked Mariella's cheeky little brother, who is constantly trying to infiltrate the Mystery Girls, much to his big sister's disappointment.

If you enjoy this book and want more Mariella mysteries, we recommend [[Mariella Mystery investigates: The Ghostly Guinea Pig by Kate Pankhurst|Mariella Mystery investigates: The Ghostly Guinea]].

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