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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
Fun (disguised) detective story for kids.
In a nice little twist for the young audience, we don't have a child detective solving the crimes here, we have a child disguised as an adult (Poirot-like?) detective. With a grandfather sidekick. And stick-on moustache.
Bonnie Montgomery loves solving crimes. She and her granddad have solved many together in the past (even if the police think of them more as troublesome elements), and manage to get people to talk more than they might as Bonnie becomes Montgomery Bonbon, a short but astute European detective with her own senior assistant.
Persistent and full of enthusiasm for the cause, they get a chance to show the reader what they can do, being on the premises during a murder and taking of a historic piece of art in a local museum. There are several suspects, a few cryptic clues, and a grumpy police investigator who doesn't want them anywhere near the case.
Can Bonnie, I mean Monsieur Bonbon and Grampa Banks work out what happened and find the guilty party?
It's amusing, seeing a young girl dress and talk like a hardened country-confused detective. But readers will definitely enjoy following her lines of thought and puzzling over the clues she finds. There are of course red herrings, plot twists and a lot of wordplay and verbal jokes (I enjoyed seeing the name of a solicitor firm: Morecambe, Morecambe and Wise, which will probably go over the heads of most young readers).
Engaging and 'safe' first detective story (if yours hasn't read Horowitz's Diamond Brothers series yet - that should be next).
For ages 9-12.
With thanks to Walker Books for providing a sample reading copy.
In a nice little twist for the young audience, we don't have a child detective solving the crimes here, we have a child disguised as an adult (Poirot-like?) detective. With a grandfather sidekick. And stick-on moustache.
Bonnie Montgomery loves solving crimes. She and her granddad have solved many together in the past (even if the police think of them more as troublesome elements), and manage to get people to talk more than they might as Bonnie becomes Montgomery Bonbon, a short but astute European detective with her own senior assistant.
Persistent and full of enthusiasm for the cause, they get a chance to show the reader what they can do, being on the premises during a murder and taking of a historic piece of art in a local museum. There are several suspects, a few cryptic clues, and a grumpy police investigator who doesn't want them anywhere near the case.
Can Bonnie, I mean Monsieur Bonbon and Grampa Banks work out what happened and find the guilty party?
It's amusing, seeing a young girl dress and talk like a hardened country-confused detective. But readers will definitely enjoy following her lines of thought and puzzling over the clues she finds. There are of course red herrings, plot twists and a lot of wordplay and verbal jokes (I enjoyed seeing the name of a solicitor firm: Morecambe, Morecambe and Wise, which will probably go over the heads of most young readers).
Engaging and 'safe' first detective story (if yours hasn't read Horowitz's Diamond Brothers series yet - that should be next).
For ages 9-12.
With thanks to Walker Books for providing a sample reading copy.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Eerste jeugdboek sinds een lange tijd. Ik was vergeten hoe leuk het kan zijn.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
4 stars.
(Content warnings: murder by poison. Nothing in this review).
That was so much fun. Once again, it's kid crime for the absolute win.
Murder at the Museum's greatest strength is its humour, which comes in abundance through it's bubbling, vivid cast of characters. The star of the show is, of course, Bonnie's her alter-ago, Montgomery Bonbon, who is not only uniquely characterised, but also consistently hilarious every time he speaks. I also loved that Alasdair Beckett-King didn't faff around with over-explaining Bonnie's disguise or how it had come about - we jump straight into it and, as a result, every ounce of fun remains.
Aside from Bonnie and Bonbon, the supporting cast provided lots more laughs, with Grampa Banks being my personal favourite. There was lots of variety in the group and they each drew something different out of Bonnie and the mystery narrative.
Whilst we're talking character, it is also worth crediting Beckett-King's commitment to not just his fun Detective Bonbon, but also to Bonnie herself. I really liked the quieter moments when undisguised Bonnie participates in the mystery herself, and the hints of self-doubt and uncertainty she feels when faced with that challenge. I thought this was explored with enough subtlety to make it seem authentic, and Bonnie's ultimate love for mysteries and for uncovering the truth still drives her actions, so there is no sense of character lost.
The mystery itself was, for the most part, nicely done. As said, I liked the cast so there was lots to be considered as Bonbon investigates, and the suspects' clear ties to the setting and each other made for immediate intrigue. However, the way things wrapped up at the end was what lost this novel a star for me, because the solution seemed to spring out of nowhere. Sure, the clues added up, but not in a way that felt cohesive enough for me to understand how Bonnie actually put it all together so quickly and with the information she had. Some of the clues and evidence seemed too tenuous for her to draw conclusions from, and so ultimately the climax of the book fell a bit short. Such a shame because I was really loving it up until that point.
Final shoutout to Claire Powell for gorgeous illustrations! Characters in particular were really strongly depicted, and I loved spotting all the extra jokes and gimmicks in the illustrations.
I'm definitely going to be looking out for book two because I adore Bonnie/Bonbon and am intrigued to see what other mysteries are in store.
(Content warnings: murder by poison. Nothing in this review).
That was so much fun. Once again, it's kid crime for the absolute win.
Murder at the Museum's greatest strength is its humour, which comes in abundance through it's bubbling, vivid cast of characters. The star of the show is, of course, Bonnie's her alter-ago, Montgomery Bonbon, who is not only uniquely characterised, but also consistently hilarious every time he speaks. I also loved that Alasdair Beckett-King didn't faff around with over-explaining Bonnie's disguise or how it had come about - we jump straight into it and, as a result, every ounce of fun remains.
Aside from Bonnie and Bonbon, the supporting cast provided lots more laughs, with Grampa Banks being my personal favourite. There was lots of variety in the group and they each drew something different out of Bonnie and the mystery narrative.
Whilst we're talking character, it is also worth crediting Beckett-King's commitment to not just his fun Detective Bonbon, but also to Bonnie herself. I really liked the quieter moments when undisguised Bonnie participates in the mystery herself, and the hints of self-doubt and uncertainty she feels when faced with that challenge. I thought this was explored with enough subtlety to make it seem authentic, and Bonnie's ultimate love for mysteries and for uncovering the truth still drives her actions, so there is no sense of character lost.
The mystery itself was, for the most part, nicely done. As said, I liked the cast so there was lots to be considered as Bonbon investigates, and the suspects' clear ties to the setting and each other made for immediate intrigue. However, the way things wrapped up at the end was what lost this novel a star for me, because the solution seemed to spring out of nowhere. Sure, the clues added up, but not in a way that felt cohesive enough for me to understand how Bonnie actually put it all together so quickly and with the information she had. Some of the clues and evidence seemed too tenuous for her to draw conclusions from, and so ultimately the climax of the book fell a bit short. Such a shame because I was really loving it up until that point.
Final shoutout to Claire Powell for gorgeous illustrations! Characters in particular were really strongly depicted, and I loved spotting all the extra jokes and gimmicks in the illustrations.
I'm definitely going to be looking out for book two because I adore Bonnie/Bonbon and am intrigued to see what other mysteries are in store.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Agatha Christie for kids! I enjoyed it a lot
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Já adulto, comprei este livro graças à apreciação e gosto sentidos pela comédia do ABK, concretamente as pequenas sátiras no seu YouTube. Não fazendo parte do público-alvo desta obra, admito não esperar muita coisa dela além do humor característico do autor; felizmente, cumpriu e foi além!
Tipicamente juvenil, o livro apresenta-nos um conjunto de personagens peculiares e distintas a olho nu, assim como cenários variados mas simples e uma história de fácil conclusão mas divertido trajeto. E, claro está, o humor absurdo e satírico de Beckett-King enquadra-se perfeitamente nesta peça.
Efetivamente, são quase 300 páginas de muito fácil e muito divertida leitura. As ilustrações de Claire Powell são ricas no humor e na contextualização da ação.
Esta primeira edição peca na revisão textual, pelo que diversos erros gramaticais foram detetados, e pede-se uma tradução melhor adaptada ao significado das frases e expressões e não tanto na simples tradução literal das palavras.
Tipicamente juvenil, o livro apresenta-nos um conjunto de personagens peculiares e distintas a olho nu, assim como cenários variados mas simples e uma história de fácil conclusão mas divertido trajeto. E, claro está, o humor absurdo e satírico de Beckett-King enquadra-se perfeitamente nesta peça.
Efetivamente, são quase 300 páginas de muito fácil e muito divertida leitura. As ilustrações de Claire Powell são ricas no humor e na contextualização da ação.
Esta primeira edição peca na revisão textual, pelo que diversos erros gramaticais foram detetados, e pede-se uma tradução melhor adaptada ao significado das frases e expressões e não tanto na simples tradução literal das palavras.
Content Warnings
Minor: Murder
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Everyone should read something aimed at younger readers once in a while because we could all use more whimsical childish fun in our lives.
If you like one or more of the following things, I recommend this book: ABK, murder mysteries, children's book, silly disguises, fun, or humour.
If you like one or more of the following things, I recommend this book: ABK, murder mysteries, children's book, silly disguises, fun, or humour.
I didn't realise until I was writing this review that the author is the guy I've seen on Mock the Week! Fastastic to see he can turn his talents to children's humour, which is quite a different animal to adult humour.
He has done very well with this. It's funny in all the right spots (the illustrations are a highlight for me, starting with the map of the museum and going through various clues and case boards as Bonbon figures out more of the case.) Shout out to the law firm Morecombe, Morecombe and Wise! One of the many jokes that will keep parents just as interested as kids are.
Montgomery Bonbon is a brilliant creation. Bonnie Montgomery is just as good, and between them they're about three people's worth of amazing, with Mongomery's vaguely-Poirot inpsired protrayal and Bonnie's calm consideration and ability to connect the dots at a moment's notice. Granda Banks, of course, makes a wonderful third part of this duo, ready to help out or cover for Bonnie or give her the sage advice she needs. Or hog all the lemon sherberts. It's really a toss up!
I think this is going to be a great series - there's a lovely hook at the end for the next one - and I look forward to reading more.
(PS I didn't solve it.)
He has done very well with this. It's funny in all the right spots (the illustrations are a highlight for me, starting with the map of the museum and going through various clues and case boards as Bonbon figures out more of the case.) Shout out to the law firm Morecombe, Morecombe and Wise! One of the many jokes that will keep parents just as interested as kids are.
Montgomery Bonbon is a brilliant creation. Bonnie Montgomery is just as good, and between them they're about three people's worth of amazing, with Mongomery's vaguely-Poirot inpsired protrayal and Bonnie's calm consideration and ability to connect the dots at a moment's notice. Granda Banks, of course, makes a wonderful third part of this duo, ready to help out or cover for Bonnie or give her the sage advice she needs. Or hog all the lemon sherberts. It's really a toss up!
I think this is going to be a great series - there's a lovely hook at the end for the next one - and I look forward to reading more.
(PS I didn't solve it.)