MIDDLE GRADE FICTION REVIEW : The Case of the Pilfered Pearls by Margi Preus & Jenyi Wu
ABOUT THE BOOK
Something that is difficult or impossible to understand.
With a curious mind and a vast vocabulary (thanks to her wallpaper—pages of a discarded human dictionary), tiny Minerva Shrew would love nothing more than to solve the Big Mysteries of Life and the Universe.
Instead, in The Case of the Pilfered Pearls, she’s called upon to help her cousin Tenacity solve a mystery in the most dangerous of a human house. When a string of pearls goes missing, the human owner is sure a “dreadful rodent” has pilfered them—and now the lives of all Minerva’s friends are at risk! Will Minerva find the true culprit before the exterminators arrive?
With wit and warmth, Margi Preus creates a charming woodland world filled with creatures both whimsical and nefarious (wicked or criminal), along with suspense, intrigue, and, thanks to Minerva’s metabolism, plenty of snacks.
REVIEW
This delightful series opener introduces readers to pygmy shrews. In this case, a pygmy shrew who loves words and wants to be a detective. Dictionary wallpaper, anyone? When Minerva's cousin, Tenacity, arrives from the big house and asks Minerva to help solve a mystery, she's reluctant. Yes, she wants to be a detective, but she has no desire to visit the big house. Ultimately though she travels to the big house to help her cousin find some missing pearls before the exterminators arrive to rid the house of all the critters living there (especially the rodents!). But as they travel through the house, first visiting the crime scene and then questioning various residents, the exterminators get to work setting traps. Avoiding cats, tricking dogs, and escaping from doll houses make the task of solving the mystery difficult. But meeting the boy of the house proves intriguing while Minerva gathers clues. Integrating facts about shrews and interesting vocabulary words throughout the story makes the book more informative than one might expect for a story about a tiny little creature solving a mystery. The first in a series, I look forward to reading more about this tiny mystery-solver whose unique characteristics make her a fun character with some serious obstacles to overcome. Appealing black-and-white colored pencil illustrations are scattered throughout the book (one full page and one partial page illustration per chapter). Overall the book is a delightful addition to the mystery genre, a good choice for young animal lovers who enjoy a dash of mystery with their adventures. Highly recommended.
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