Book Review; Sleuth on Skates by Clementine Beauvais

Summary:
A brand new contemporary mystery series for 9-11 year olds sees the launch of a laugh-out-loud new voice in children’s fiction.

Armed with a pair of purple rollerskates and a brain with as many connections as there are stars in the universe, eleven-year-old Sesame Seade is more than qualified to be Cambridge’s number one self-made supersleuth. All she needs now is a mission. So when a student ballerina and aspiring journalist vanishes into thin air, some serious sleuthing begins. Very much against her parents’ wishes, but with help from her friends Toby and Gemma and a conspiratorial duck, Sesame slips into the wings and solves the mystery of the missing dancer.

Illustrated throughout with hilarious artwork by Sarah Horne, this series features a smart and sassy heroine with a unique take on life. Also in the series: GARGOYLES GONE AWOL and SCAM ON THE CAM.

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When A

One of the things I have always found myself enjoying is detective fiction. Whether that be in book format, in films or in television shows. So as soon as I heard about Sleuth on Skates, I knew that it was a book I was certain I’d enjoy and couldn’t wait to get my hands on. I was, albeit, a little nervous as I opened this book as a lot of bloggers I know had really enjoyed it and recently all the books I’ve struggled with, they loved. Fortunately, however, I am glad to report that this book was an exception to that rule as I found it to be a truly wonderful book that was a lot of fun. I liked it so much that I immediately made out to get the next two in the series because I need more!

Mystery Occurs

Imagine you’re eleven years old, live at Cambridge University, and have an over-active imagination. Add in a missing person, some mysterious clues, and two curious friends, and you have the set-up to Sleuth on Skates. Already the plot of this book was intriguing and interesting, and as the story carried on, it only got more entertaining and enjoyable. I can really see children trying to solve the mystery themselves as they read on and feel that it was just a really well-thought out plot with lots of fun going on. While some parts of this book were unbelievable, I feel that this is actually what gave this book that little bit of extra-charm. It made the adventure feel epic, the journey exciting, and the story itself completely loveable.

Sesame Seade

But of course, this epic adventure would not have been anywhere near as fun without the fabulous Sophie (*cough* Sesame Seade *cough*) leading the way. Sesame was a wonderful character that it is hard not to fall in love with. She is almost always over-the-top, thinks herself better than everyone, and is certain that she’ll save the day. She’s curious, excitable, and just really enjoyable to read about. She is the kind of character that you love watching in films and works so well because so many children act in similar ways. Their world, after all, is much more important than the world their parents live in! I would definitely read the rest of the series just to read more stories about Sesame.

Is Ready

What truly makes this book such a fun and entertaining read is how, essentially, unbelievable the entire book is. By that I mean that it is truly exaggerated and so over-the-top that it is clearly an escapist story. While reading it, it is easy to remove yourself from the things that occur that wouldn’t normally happen as they’re written in a way that makes you simply accept them. It is written in a real world with very familiar backgrounds and characters that are just everyday people but at the same time, it’s also just that little bit more. I really liked that about this story and, for me anyway, it definitely made the book more enjoyable and, ironically, believable – as a story anyway! I adored the writing style of this book and cannot wait to read more by Clementine Beauvais!

To Solve It

All in all, I really, really enjoyed this book. It was a wonderful children’s story that made me smile and laugh. It kept me curious and I really wanted to know what had happened and how Sesame Seade would use her amazing sleuthing skills to solve the crime and bring the bad guys to justice! It is also a very modern book, looking at some of the issues surrounding computers and technology and I think this just made it even more interesting to me! Sesame is a loveable, eccentric character who I cannot wait to read more of. If you’re someone who likes children’s books, enjoys the good crime book, and just needs a bit of fun for a few hours, I would highly recommend giving this book a go! I think children from seven and up would really appreciate this book, but I also believe that adults would also really like it.