Review: The Oh-So-Secret Princess by Anne Digby

THE OH!-SO-SECRET PRINCESS

by Anne Digby

Straw Hat Publishing

Children's Fiction

29 pages

ages 5 and up

Princess Bee longs to be let out of the palace on her own, just for a day. Dressed up as an ordinary person! But the king and queen would NEVER allow such a thing. Her dream seems impossible until, one magical Monday, she gets the chance to escape at last. It's her very first day off from being a princess and what a surprising day it turns out to be......

MY TIDBITS

Princess Bee has never really seen her kingdom. Sure, she's ridden with her parents during the parades, but she's still to small to see out of the windows. Even the citizens have never seen more than the tip of her tiara which peeks over the edge. Only one man has caught sight of her because he makes sure to wear stilts so he can peer down and smile at her. But Princess Bee has noticed that one of the servants, in particular, has days off...something a princess never has. And this servant wears ordinary clothes and goes into town to do ordinary things. Princess Bee may not be able to sneak out of the castle, but she's determined to, at least, wear ordinary clothes.

This book makes a perfect read aloud for ages 4 to 8, or a great first reader for those more sure and comfortable in their reading skills. Princess Bee is a sweet princess, never spoiled, and wonderfully curious about life. She never gets snotty or snippy but is determined. She makes mistakes, admits to them, and tries her best no matter what. In other words, she's a princess to cheer for and easy to connect to despite her tiara.

The story moves along at a wonderful pace, bringing new twists at just the right moment. It appears to be a simple tale at first, but the well worked plot grabs and hooks until the very end. There are a handful of simple but bright illustrations, which add something to look at but add little to the story. Nor do they need to. Princess Bee does run into troubles, and it's impossible not to feel for her as she tries to find footing in an ordinary world she doesn't understand. There's friendship, kindness, and simply clever moments at guarantee many smiles.

Review: The Magic Man by Anne Digby

THE MAGIC MAN

Jug Valley Mysteries, Book 6

by Anne Digby

Straw Hat

Middle Grade Mystery

94 pages

A prizewinning rabbit escapes and there's a £100 reward on offer. For the five friends in Hands, finding the runaway rabbit is their last chance of delivering on their promise to help JVJ meet its target for the Lifeboat Appeal. After all, they pride themselves on their detective skills. But will detective skills be enough in this intriguing & exciting story?

MY TIDBITS

This is a sweet, quick mystery which feels a bit like cotton candy with a magic twist.

The five friends of Hands (the mystery solving club) want to raise the funds to help the JVJ with their Lifeboat Appeal, and they're still missing 100 pounds. They've arranged a fair/sale but the promised advertisement from the paper falls through. Not sure how to lure the crowd in, they run into a magician, who promises to help for free. . .and it appears that he has real magic! Mix that with a missing rabbit, a 100 pound fine and more festival mishaps, and the five kids have their hands full.

This is such a short, cute read! The five Hands slide together seamlessly, making for a beautiful display of friendship, working together and getting along. It's a pure treat to watch these kids. They try their best to help, run into problems but always do their best to get things back in order. Even when they don't agree, there's no malice or meanness involved.

I have read the other books in the series and love the slight bit of magic added to this one. Even at the end, it's not really clear what happened. . .only assumptions can be made. There is a mystery but it flows more in with the rest of the tale. A sense of wonder glides off the pages, allowing the imagination not to lose to pragmatic reality. Even in real life, dreams and magic might exist.

I highly recommend this series to mystery lovers ages 8 to 10, who enjoy wholesome reads and great bonds of friendship. Especially reluctant readers will appreciate the quick pace and lean page amount. And it's even a great addition for homeschoolers.

Review: Jug Valley Mysteries Books 3 & 4 by Anne Digby

HANDS UP!

CURIOUS CASE OF A VANISHING FOOTBALL

Jug Valley Mysteries, Book 3

by Anne Digby

Straw Hat 

Middle Grade Mystery

77 pages

Retrieving a battered old football for its frantic young owner, Charlie Smith, hardly presents a difficult challenge for Hands to handle - or so they think. In fact, the case of a football that seems to have vanished from the face of the earth will take all their detective skills to resolve - and it's far more important than they ever dreamt.

MY TIDBITS

With wholesome fun, this book dives into a fun mystery which is sure to make sleuth hearts beat a little faster.

Charlie accidentally kicks a ball during recess over the fence. Unfortunately, as a bus kid, he's unable to retrieve it. Luckily, Amy and her friend Mini volunteer, but when they enter the yard, the ball is nowhere to be found!

This is the third book in the Jug Valley Mysteries series, but by no means do the other books have to be read first. Although it's better to get to know the characters (and how the wonderful Hands & Spouts club was formed), this can be read as a stand alone.

The three siblings, Amy, Tim and Harry, and their friends are thrown into an unexpected mystery. The situations starts as something almost every kid can relate to and quickly builds from there. The situations, reactions and decisions remain pretty realistic, despite the unexpected twists and turns. The clues are laid out nicely, but still hold enough secrets to make the end a treat.

As always, the three siblings and their friends hold together well. Even little two-year-old Harry, who can be a pain to the older twins at times, proves his worth. This book (and entire series) is like a fresh breeze, offering a wholesome setting and characters. Problems happen, but the club works through them as best they can.

This is a read which will not only excite young mystery fans, but is great for families and home-schoolers as well.

PHOTOFIT MYSTERY

Can they build up a picture of the intruder?

Jug Valley Mysteries, Book 4

by Anne Digby

Straw Hat

Middle Grade Mystery

72 pages

When a classmate, Esme Kirk, thinks she sees a shadow at an upstairs window of her old home, she's so upset that she asks the five friends in Hands to keep an eye on the house for her. After all, it's supposed to be empty now it's up for sale. At first Hands wonder if Esme imagined it but soon find they have a case that will need all their detective skills.

MY TIDBITS

Unexpected surprises await in this book as the young sleuths refuse to let go of a mystery and dive in.

Esme, a girl next door to the Hands & Spouts headquarters, is not in a good place. Her mother passed away, and her father, who has barely managed to keep the house, decides to pursue a new job overseas. If the move wasn't enough, Esme sees a shadow in her house. Despite ridicule, The Hands & Spouts are on the case, and they discover more than anyone would have ever guessed.

This is the fourth book in the series and as thrilling as the first. It can be read as a stand-alone, although it is a treat to follow the sleuths the entire way through.

Unlike the other books, this one takes a deeper dive not only into solving a mystery but in exploring the troubles Esme has with moving and coming to terms with difficult life changes. And these are topics handled with wonderful finesse. Gentle suspense glides between the emotional struggles, ones that many kids will sympathize with. The mystery lures in, keeping the pages turning while Esme's problems are never pushed to the side. It's a lovely balance which makes it an engaging read.

The mystery itself offers a very unsuspected surprise at the end, and it's not one easily achieved. The kids from Hands & Spouts not only have to find and work out the clues, but must hold their own and continue forward, although others are telling them not to.

This is an excellent read for mystery lovers, especially those who enjoy a more traditional, family read. And at only 70 some pages, it's great for even those more reluctant word fans.

Review: Jug Valley Mysteries by Anne Digby

BOYS V. GIRLS

JUG VALLEY MYSTERIES, Book 1

by Anne Digby

Straw Hat

Middle Grade Mystery

78 pages

When a bike is stolen from the school bike sheds at Jug Valley Juniors, Tim forms a secret club with his friends Ben and Ludo to try to solve the crime. They call themselves the Handles. 'This isn't girls' stuff,' he tells his twin sister Amy. 'It needs boys to handle it.' 
To get back at the boys, Amy and her best friend Mini jokingly call themselves the Spouts...but it's no longer a joke when Mum's lovely bike is stolen, too, giving the girls a serious quest of their own. And so the rival detectives go into action - mainly against each other. 
Yet they should be working together if they want to avoid danger....

MY TIDBITS

This is simply a fun mystery which takes a group of everyday kids and has them save the day through clever ideas and a bit of spunk. A great read!

Someone stole a bike! To help out, Tim and his friends get together and form a club, Handles, to figure out who did it. When Tim's mother's bike is also stolen, his twin sister, Amy decides to jump on the case with her own group of friends, the Spouts. Not realizing what the other group is up to, the girls and boys each use their own means to track down the thief, which doesn't always work as well as it could.

These sleuths could be any kids--a group down the street or a bunch of friends from school. They are as normal as normal could be, but still, they're able to embark on a mystery and catch the thief. And it's exactly this which makes this book such a delight to read. The characters are easy to sympathize with, and have concerns and reactions kids in this age group would have. It's no problem to dive into their world, especially when brother and sister would rather avoid each other. They aren't mean to each other, but rather want to have their own space and unintentionally get in the way. 

At seventy some pages, this is a perfect read for more reluctant readers. The plot holds a nice pace the entire way through, making it a smooth and easy read. There a moments which put a smile on the face, and others where it's hard not to cringe a little as the boys and girls accidentally make mistakes. A moment of danger adds the perfect amount of tension, rounding off a perfect mystery.

Summed up, this is a gentle mystery which is sure to inspire readers and make them want to hit the streets to solve mysteries of their own. The short length makes it an easy, quick read even for more reluctant readers, and boys as well as girls will relate with the characters.

HEAD MASTER'S GHOST

Jug Valley Mysteries, Book 2

by Anne Digby

Straw Hat

Middle Grade Mystery

71 pages

Twins Tim and Amy and their friends in Hands are on the case again following a strange appearance at school Parents' Evening. Several parents saw the headmaster lose his temper and throw chocolate biscuits around but Mr Morton claims he wasn't there! Surely they couldn't have seen a ghost? And now he may have to resign...

MY TIDBITS

A great mystery, which is sure to prompt kids into grounding a detective agency of their own.

It's time to show off projects at Parent's Evening, and the kids are nervous, but it's not the parents' opinion which should be making them worry. A kid's project, a mug, goes missing. And then, the Headmaster, who claimed he was coming at all, suddenly appears at the end of the evening and does the oddest things. The twins and their friends are on the case to figure out what in the world is going on now.

I did read the first book in this series before diving into this one, but that doesn't influence the story. In other words, this can be read as a stand alone.

The dispute between girls vs. guys from book one has died down as the twins combine their clubs into one and the friends start working together. The differences of personalities are still there, and the forming of new friendships and growing closer is a real treat. But friendships are key in this series as the kids work together, using very normal means to figure out what's behind the Parent Evening disaster.

In this book, the younger sibling of the twins plays a bigger role and adds a lot of life to the story. His antics come across perfectly fitting to his age and are sure to have readers giggling. But then, all of the friends are enjoyable and remind of the kids from next door.

The plot is basic, yet secret enough to hold the fun until the very last page. But with only seventy pages, this isn't a heavy read and invites even more reluctant word friends to dive in. The humor matches wonderfully with the mystery, creating a fun atmosphere. The mystery itself is solved with very real solutions, which makes it easy for kids to dream of solving mysteries on their own.

Summed up, this is a delightful, wholesome mystery for kids with a lot of fun mixed in.

Review: Me, Jill Robinson! The Christmas Pantomime by Anne Digby

ME, JILL ROBINSON!

THE CHRISTMAS PANTOMIME

Jill Robinson Series, Book Three

by Anne Digby

Strawhat Publishing

Upper Middle Grade/Lower YA Contemporary

131 pages

We're back in Haven after solving that seaside mystery - but there's no chance of a quiet life for us Robinsons, nor for my best friend Lindy. When a local gang leader starts making trouble at the Youth Club, it could mean curtains for our Christmas show - not to mention my dreams of stardom...

As told to ANNE DIGBY, bestselling author of the Trebizon series and the Further Adventures of Enid Blyton's Naughtiest Girl.

MY TIDBITS

I have already read other books in the Jill Robinson series and was eager to dig into this one.

Jill and her friends at the youth group are getting ready to put on a pantomime, one that has the entire town eager to see the show. Meanwhile, a new gang of local teens has been causing trouble. When they make an appearance at the youth group meeting, things get heated.

Jill is an average, every day teenage girl who comes from a wonderful, wholesome family. In other words, this is a character with absolutely no extra baggage, and that alone is refreshing. She's on her toes, uses her head, and usually makes pretty thought out decisions. The support of family and friends plays a big role, as do topics such as trust. All characters, including Jill, are easy to sympathize with and cheer for.

The writing and story telling, in general, has a more traditional, clean, healthy feel than many modern YA books even though topics such as vandalism, teenage heart break and gang problems are touched upon.  This is a pure contemporary tale which hits upon true to life situations and real problems which teens might face, giving a great basis to take and relate to real life. But it's not the messages which stand on center stage. The story grabs, pulls into a understandably difficult situation, and has the reader wondering how things will work out. There's never a boring moment as the troubles mount, and Jill no longer is sure how to help those involved or even if she can. The ending leaves one caring for the characters and thinking about them after the book is closed.