Pages

Rebecca McCormick. Powered by Blogger.

A Spoonful of Murder by Robin Stevens - Review

Sunday, March 18, 2018

I was still in need of something easy to read, so I picked up the latest Wells and Wong novel. I had it on pre-order and it arrived a couple of weeks ago. First of all I think the blue green colour is absolutely gorgeous; I love how all of these books are such bright, attractive colours.

At the beginning of the book, we're at Deepdean with Daisy and Hazel again. It's only a few weeks into the term after the events of Mistletoe and Murder, but Hazel gets a phone call from her dad in Hong Kong telling her that her grandfather has died and that she should return to Hong Kong for the mourning.

She asks if Daisy can go with her and the two set off on the boat, which takes an astounding thirty days. I would LOVE for there to be a mystery set on the boat - maybe even on the way back from this trip! Anyway, in Hong Kong all of Hazel's relatives are waiting in her childhood home - her dad, who we met in a previous book, her mother June, her father's second wife Jie Jie, Hazel's sisters Rose and May, and a new addition to the family, Teddy. Hazel is blindsided by the arrival of a baby brother and feels quite uncomfortable about him.

But then Teddy is kidnapped, a maid is murdered, and Hazel is not only a witness but also a suspect! Can she and Daisy navigate the different rules of Hong Kong life to work out the truth?

It's no secret that I love these books, I think they're perfect middle grade books and a really gorgeous addition to children's literature. I think they're perfect for fans of Enid Blyton and such like - they're a little bit dangerous and extremely intriguing, and they have such a brilliant setting and such likeable heroes. I really liked the switch to Hong Kong as we got more of a look at Hazel's home life, as well as at what things matter to her. I thought that a reader unfamiliar with Hong Kong would also understand a lot of the customs and traditions even though they would be different to what a reader might be used to. I'm pretty sure, for instance, that previous settings like at Daisy's house or on the Orient Express wouldn't be familiar to modern readers either, but they're done in such a way as to be accessible and I think that's lovely.

As an adult reader it's easy to pick up some flaws in the book, but if I was ten years old I know I would be all over these books like a rash, and honestly they are just so cute that I would forgive them a lot. I can't wait to see where we meet Hazel and Daisy next!


No comments:

Post a Comment

 

Blogger news

Blogroll

Most Read

Tags