HARRIET BEAN by Alexander McCall Smith
Here's a recipe guaranteed to produce a sure-fire hit.
To one amazing storyteller, add:
- One spunky nine-year-old detective named Harriet Bean
- An expanding cast of charmingly weird aunts, each with a special power (one is super strong, one is musical and can throw her voice, one is bossy, and two can read minds).
- One eccentric inventor dad
Stir in mystery plots studded with suspense. Add equal dashes of adventure and fantasy. Spice liberally with lots of humor. Garnish with whimsical illustrations.
Then, serve for the first time with a side-dish of intrigue to whet appetites: How could Harriet's father lose Harriet's aunts? Where could they be?
The result is the delightful Harriet Bean mystery series, which is quite a treat. They manage to feel both up-to-the-minute and enchantingly old-fashioned. Readers of series chapter books won't be able to resist them. Then again, why should they?
--- Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon (terryms2001@yahoo.com)
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