Reviews
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by Mike Nicholson; illustrated by Mike Phillips.
The first in the series!
Some people think that museums are boring places full of glass cases, dust and stuff no-one cares about: wrong! In a hidden headquarters below the exhibits there's a gang ready to handle dangerous, spooky or just plain weird problems: the Museum Mystery Squad.
Techie-genius Nabster, mile-a-minute Kennedy, and sharp-eyed Laurie (along with Colin the hamster!) tackle the surprising conundrums happening at the museum. From moving pre-historic creatures and secret Egyptian codes to missing treasure and strange messages from the past, there's no brain-twisting, totally improbable puzzle the Squad can't solve.
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There's nothing deader than a mammoth -- not just dead but completely extinct. So how can it be moving at night?
In the Case of the Moving Mammoth, the Squad investigate the museum's new star exhibit, on loan from Tyrone O'Saurus, ringmaster of the travelling Dinosaur Circus. There must be a reasonable explanation for a shifting stuffed prefistoric animal. Can they sift through the clues and unravel the puzzle before the museum faces a mammoth-sized problem?
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Young readers will love the riddles, red herrings and big reveals jam-packed into this fun-filled series of mystery stories by Mike Nicholson. The enjoyable extras like wacky facts and activities, as well as zany illustrations by Mike Phillips, will keep amateur detectives entertained for hours.
Recommended by the publisher for ages 6-9 yrs.
Softcover, 128 pages. 197 x 158 mm. With 50 black and white illustrations.
Floris Books.
Printed in Glasgow, Scotland.
Mike Nicholson won the Kelpies Prize for new Scottish children's fiction in 2005. He is the author of many humorous children's books including the Museum Mystery Squad series (for young readers) and the Thistle Streetpicture books. Mike lives in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Mike Phillips is the illustrator of many children's books including the Horrible Histories: Gruesome Guides and the Horrible Geography series.
'This is a fast--paced and entertaining story... all in all, very enjoyable, with a surprising, and explosive, ending.'
-- Carousel
'... there is a clear desire to celebrate museums as spaces of imagination and learning. There is a very interesting interplay between text and image in the book, as the story is interposed by numerous illustrations, graphs and quizzes that... make the book very visually stimulating.'
-- Armadillo
'I just finished reading both books -- they are so much fun!'
-- Ms Kirke Kook, Manager and Curator, Andrew Carnegie Birthplace Museum
'There is so much to love about this book. A quick shout out for those with dyslexic children the font and spacing is good as is the creamy pages... A great story and characters, lots of hands on interaction/involvement, fun illustrations, terrible jokes and a great read.'
-- Bookworm (indie bookshop, Selkirk)
'... a satisfying book. The characters are unique, intelligent, and likable. The museum setting is exciting and fun. The mystery itself is solvable by young readers without being obvious. There is also plenty of humour... This is an excellent and refreshing new mystery series for young readers.'
-- Manhattan Book Review
' The book is fun and enjoyable.'
-- Youth Services Book Review
'It made me laugh and I really enjoyed the facts and I think the second one sounds like it will be really good.'
-- Mairin, age 7 years
'Due to dyslexia ... picking up a book is something that Jonah considers to be hard work. That is until ... he read 'Mammoth'. We had begun to read it together before he went to sleep but he couldn't wait for the story to end and so continued to read on his own!... Within a few nights the book was finished and Jonah asked if we could buy the other book in the series. Completing a book on his own was a real confident boost to Jonah and he genuinely found the whole experience to be great fun.'
-- Parent of Jonah, age 9 years
'My 7yr old loves to read... She loved the museum mysteries... Her imagination has been gripped [...] All in these books have become a loved part of Anna's book shelves. Perfect for her age group. A page turner she can enjoy on her own with some words and phrases she'd not come across before to challenge her.'
-- Parent of Anna, age 7 years
'Grace absolutely loved them and devoured each one [Books 1 and 2] in a day. The characters and the plot really captured her imagination and she really enjoyed the way that facts were interspersed throughout (she loves a good fact!) The games and quizzes at the back were a big hit too.'
-- Parent of Grace, age 8 years
