MAJOR and MYNAH – Operation Raven

 

 by KAREN OWEN;  

 Illustrated by Louise Forshaw                                                                                  

An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.

Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review featuring Adventures in Middle-Grade Fiction.

 

But first, lets see what's happening in Upper Much-Mousing.

 

Life at the Manor House has settled into the traditional pre-Christmas panic, and Mrs H and Erin have been hard at work signing cards. . . .
 
"Mrs H, what flavour ink am I using this year?" Erin asked as she licked her paw. She had been stamping the Xmas cards with her right paw using a special flavoured non-toxic ink..

"Blueberry and muffin I think the bottle said." Mrs H was busily unknotting the tangle Erin had created in the tinsel after a mad half-hour session earlier that morning while chasing a mouse-shaped bauble.

Erin nodded in approval. "Does that mean we have the mince pie and brandy butter glue to lick this year?" she said, eyeing up the envelopes.

"No, dear. I got my favourite, the alcohol free sherry flavour. It wouldn't do to be drunk whilst headed to the postbox, now would it."

"Yuck!" Erin's nose scrunched up in disgust. "I don't know how you could, Mrs H. It smells like fermented old socks mixed with old fruit!"

"I'm not sure that it's quite that bad, dear. And in anycase, how would you know what old socks tasted like?"

"Have you been into ol' Ned's greenhouse this week?" Erin asked, gesturing out the window. "There's a reason it's all steamed up. And it's not because he's working hard," Erin said with a wink. I swear that new homebrew is actually some sort of bug killer."

"Insecti-cider!" they both proclaimed simultaneously and broke into hysterics.

"How's about I let you lick the postage stamps instead. Mrs H pulled out the small wallet of special stamps purchased from Mrs Singh's Festive Grotto. Each stamp had a Christmas flavour. Having split the stamps into two even piles she placed one set before Erin. "There you go, dear. We each get a fair mix.

"OK. As long as I haven't got the 1st Class vindaloo surprise!" The previous year, Erin picked that stamp and had needed to keep her tongue in chilled cream till the pain subsided. At least, that is what she had said.

"I did make sure I got that myself. Can't have you overdoing the cream, now can we. I have also made sure you got all the traditional food. Roast parsnips and cranberry sauce are back. And, if you see one with King Charles 3rd on it, and his nose is wrinkled, that will be the Brussels sprout-flavoured one." Mrs H winked, and after a short pause, the two descended into fits of giggles!

"I think, dear," Mrs H said after wiping away a tear, we best not make any jokes about our new king. If word ever got out, we could end up in the Tower of London!"
 
"Strange you should say that, Mrs H, but the review for this week is set in the Tower of London. How's about you put the kettle on and warm up those mince pies with cream, and I'll introduce this week's awesome read?"

"That, Erin is an excellent idea." As Mrs H strode off to the kitchens, Erin gently pushed the sprout flavour stamp from her pile into Mrs H's and exchanged it for a rather tasty-looking roast turkey.

 

 

 

AUTHOR: KAREN OWEN

 

Cover art by: LOUISE FORSHAW 

 

Published by: FIREFLY PRESS

 

Publication date: Paperback – 2 MARCH 2023

 

Paperback ISBN: 978 1913 102 746

 

 

Cover price for Paperback £ T.B.A.

 

Pages: 167

 

Age range: 7 - 9

Any dogs or cats? No, but B.O., the Mynah bird, has a crucial part!

 

 

SPOILER ALERT

Some as to plot direction and characters. 

 

 

Thank you to... 

 

We are exceedingly grateful to all at Firefly Press Publishers and NetGalley for the delight of getting to Read & Review this fun book before publication. 

 

As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we like and feel our readers deserve to know about and that we hope they will enjoy. 

 

 

The plot

In this, the second instalment, our crime-fighting young 9-year-old friends, Callie and Grace, are heading off on a school trip to the Tower of London. But the last thing they expected was to find fellow detective Bo, the talking Mynah bird, in Callie's school bag. The second to last thing they expected was to get embroiled in a new mystery during the visit! 

Keeping a determined stowaway bird hidden on the bus isn't as easy as it sounds, especially as Callie's mum is the bus driver. Bo has his own reason for visiting, which might prove dangerous and distracting. 

Delightful hijinks ensue when the three pals think they spot something amiss and start to investigate! Keeping everything hidden from the adults is going to be difficult, especially under the eagle eyes of their teacher, Mrs Manning. I shall say no more for fear of spoiling things.

So, what did we think?

 

We loved the first book, and this new adventure sees team S.P.U.D. (Super Perceptive Undercover Detectives) take it to the next level — many levels, including the dungeons! They also get to deal with the Police and aspects of an actual investigation. All exciting and serious, which adds authentic flavour and realism to the whole book. 

The fact that Callie has hearing aids, aka 'slugs', never really gets any focus other than in a positive way in line with how they allow her to hear what Bo says. The characters also use B.S.L. (British Sign Language) as part of their sleuthing. This book is a wonderful example of how inclusiveness in children's writing can be fun and informative without using a sledgehammer. Which, of course, is exactly what we like. 💙

So . . . . 

Crunch time. 

Once again, Karen Owen has captured and skillfully distilled the essence of a great, fun adventure in an easy-to-read first-person voice of the lead protagonist, Callie Major. Coupled with Louise's dynamic illustrations, we get a readily accessible, compelling tale for younger and reluctant readers alike. The book is also educational in a lighthearted way. Well worth buying for the youngster in your life.

Want to buy a copy?

 

To get a copy, minus a talking bird, and being sure not to lose one's head by upsetting the local monarch, head on down to your local independent bookshop. There are plenty out there (both book shops and cats), and each shop is just waiting to serve up whatever kind of mystery, fun and adventure you desire.

 

KAREN OWEN'S web page can be found HERE or type this:  https://karenowen.co.uk/

 

FIREFLY PRESS web page can be found HERE or type this: https://fireflypress.co.uk/

 

LOUISE FORSHAW web page can be found HERE or type this:   https://www.munkeypants.com/

 

 

 

I shall leave you with a selfie of me, contemplating all things feline, and a few things with cream!  🙂

 

 

Till laters!

ERin

'Death in the Spotlight' by Robin Stevens

 A Murder Mystery book review by Erin the Cat Princess

Erin the cat: Addicted to Murder Mystery & Mice!

It's saturday, and that means it's time for a book review!

But first, a quick look at my week here at the Palace. Monday, I sent Mrs H out to look at new flooring for the study. And would you believe it, she came back having looked at nothing but skirting boards. So, being the cunning feline I am, I sent her out on Tuesday to look for skirting boards with the hope she would look at flooring instead.

The logic was there, but somehow.... well, let's just say the request translated into looking at wallpaper. By Friday, we, meaning I, had sent her to look for everything else, but come what may, I still had no samples of flooring. I have catalogues for sinks, taps and plumbing sundries. There's also a teetering pile of paint swatches, and strips of curtain fabric – which Mrs H assures me she did not cut out of the curtains in the shop window. I also have multiple rolled up lengths of wallpaper that look like the most ornate and expensive rolls of loo paper imaginable. I'll be saving them for when we have royal guests I want to impress!

Any hope of new floorboards seemed to have disappeared. So I took things into my own claws. This morning I finally managed to corner Mrs H on the matter whilst she had her porridge; the live mouse I'd invited to share her bowl of said breakfast stodge, poised (gracefully in my delicate jaws) ready to join her.

Mrs H hurriedly apologised, and assured me that there were no physical samples available. At least not of a length that wouldn't jeopardise the lives and limbs of pedestrians as she cycled by. So, she has decided to get the same as we already have.

Wouldn't it have just been easier if she'd told me that from the the off?

Anyways, enough of my interior decorating and building woes, let's get on with the show!

 

'THE STAGE IS SET FOR MURDER.'

This week we review the next book in the 'Murder Most Unladylike' series, 'Death in the Spotlight', by the fabulous Mrs Robin Stevens.

The Plot:

Hazel and Daisy have returned from their adventure in Hong Kong, but it is mid-term, and they can't yet go back to their school, Deepdean. Instead, they stay in London with Daisy's Uncle Felix and his new wife, Aunt Lucy. 

To keep them out of trouble (Ha!), Aunt Lucy takes them hither and thither to enjoy London. BUT when something crops up at Lucy's very secretive workplace, the girls end up going to help Lucy's friends mother. She happens to run the Rue Theatre in London. The thought is Hazel and Daisy will be entertained, supervised and enjoy the acting experience. Yes, that's right, the girls get small parts in the theatre's upcoming production of Romeo and Juliet.

This sets the scene, quite literally, for what happens next — MURDER.

The girls soon discover the cast has many conflicting personalities, and pasts they would rather not share. And there are the ever-present problems of a lack of money. There is also the sweet scent of romance, and not just because it is Romeo and Juliet.

Things start on a reasonably even keel with a prima donna of a star, Miss Rose Tree, causing the usual fuss and rubbing everyone up the wrong way. 

But very quickly, there come the threats. A note in Rose's roses saying someone is coming for her. A peacock feather is left in her room at the theatre, and then her gown is slashed. Next comes a set of posters papered to the outside of the theatre for all the public to see. In a nasty version of Kitty in the well, they say that's where Rose Tree is! 

When Rose Tree walks out and does not return the next day, few seem bothered. But the girls sense foul play. Soon after a murder is uncovered, and the real drama begins. Following on, the girls meet up with the Junior Pinkertons detectives, Alexander and George and the case takes them across London. Like all the best detective stories, the devil and the murders are in the detail. There is so much more I want to tell you, but really can't.

So, I do think this is a perfect place for the first interval. With the curtain down, I shall let you head to the bar to ponder over a soft drink or cocoa – after all, there are kids present in the audience – what will happen next. Will the show make it to the first night? Will our intrepid duo survive rehearsals and get to take their bows and an encore? Or will the play and the cast die a horrible death, and not just from the critics?! To find the answers to these meddlesome questions, you will just have to wait and see. . . 

 

What did we think?

Robin Stevens has picked an excellent theme for this adventure mystery. Theatre is full of tradition and superstition. And most importantly, the cast is already pretending to be who they aren't. Seeing through not one but two or maybe three disguises is, I think, what makes this adventure extra appealing. 

I didn't manage to solve this one, though I did think at one point it was the lady that sells the ice creams, and it was all down to timing. When Mrs H asked why, I insisted on proving my point by ordering up some double-cream ices tubs of my own. Mrs H timed me eating them and, well, let's just say that my idea, like the cream tub, came up empty. Oh, the things I do to be a detective. 

Anyway, as the series has progressed, we have met both girls, their classmates and their families, in sadness and in joy. Now it is time to learn more about the girls themselves, more so Daisy in this book. This aspect is done so well by our author. I dare say I had not seen such a thoughtful representation of characters until I started reading Middle Grade/YA books. 

I think it is often assumed/ignored in adult books and tiptoed around and over in younger age books. I shall add that this is a rounded adventure that does, like all the others, deal with matters sensitively and thoughtfully. It does it in a way that, like the clues, weaves itself seamlessly through the pages. 

So, if we were looking for candidates for this year's book of the year, then this one is definitely a candidate. 

The prize for the winning author is a one-week free holiday in the Palace's newly built holiday chalet (AKA Old Ned's potting shed – cold running water and insect spray available on request with small surcharge payable).

 

Should I buy a copy?

If treading the boards, greasepaint, costumes, and all manner of murderous acts are your thing, then Murder in the Spotlight is likely to raise the curtain on an evening or fives worth of entertainment. So the answer is a resounding – Oh Yes You Should!

 

Want to buy a copy?

As to buying, please do support your local independent bookseller.

If you would like something extra spiffing, Round Table Books, here in the UK, can offer special editions, signed copies and pre-orders. I believe they do ship internationally too. A link to Round Table Books special orders can be found HERE. If you cant see what you are after, then do drop them an email.

Round Table Books is "an Inclusion-led book shop" based at the heart of Brixton, London, UK. As shown on their website, their purpose is to highlight and celebrate underrepresented children's books, writers and illustrators. It draws from as wide a range as possible of the UK and Irish publishing houses. 

 

Next time I will be reviewing the next major book in the series, book 8, 'Top Marks for Murder', the penultimate adventure. 

OK, so that is it from us here at the Palace. We will return, editorial work on our own adventure novel permitting, in a week or so time.

 

Till then, we hope your own spoons will be filled with nothing more sinister than lukewarm porridge! 

Until later,

Toodlepip and Purrs!

ERin

PS

Mrs H has asked me to offer this warning: Do remember choc-ices, lemonade and popcorn all cause a sticky mess, so, if participating in such delights, best not read this in bed!