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mehsi's review
5.0
This was oodles of fun. Terrific MC, loved the Hercule Poirot character, the mystery was fab with plenty of red herrings and twists! This was such a fun read. I loved seeing Aggie do her thing despite how people thought girls should act. I have to bring a message to my best friend? Heck, I will steal this bike and take off my skirt, go! XD The ending was exciting and I was rooting for them to get the culprit! I thought I would struggle (I kind of feel a bit of a slump coming plus it is meltingly hot here) but in the end I just couldn't stop reading it was just that much fun!
Oh, and the illustrations, perfection!
I need more of this series!
Oh, and the illustrations, perfection!
I need more of this series!
voicenextdoor's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
laura_cs's review
4.0
I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Shy Aggie Morton has what her mother calls a "Morbid Predisposition", meaning she hosts full funerals for deceased pets and thinks of horrific scenarios out of the mundane. She is mourning her father's death, her sister leaving home to be with her husband, and sorely needs a friend. Or to be thought of as anything but a small child. It seems the stars align when she meets Belgian immigrant, Hector Perot, in the sweet shop. However, neither of them have any idea what their friendship will bring when their second meeting is overshadowed by Aggie having found a dead body in her dance teacher's studio. Who poisoned the vile Mrs. Eversham's tea? Was it Miss Marianne, the dance teacher? Could it have been her daughter, Miss Rose? The boy who has set his cap on Miss Rose's hand, Roddy Fusswell? More importantly, who will actually solve the crime? The police... or Aggie and Hector?
Heavily based off of the childhood of the Queen of Mystery, Agatha Christie, "The Body Under the Piano" is a wonderful tribute to Christie's works, and an invigorating middle grade mystery. Readers will be captivated by the small seaside English town and the colorful cast of characters that make up for the sky typically being gray. With so many suspects, how will Aggie and Hector solve the crime? And will another case befall them?
Shy Aggie Morton has what her mother calls a "Morbid Predisposition", meaning she hosts full funerals for deceased pets and thinks of horrific scenarios out of the mundane. She is mourning her father's death, her sister leaving home to be with her husband, and sorely needs a friend. Or to be thought of as anything but a small child. It seems the stars align when she meets Belgian immigrant, Hector Perot, in the sweet shop. However, neither of them have any idea what their friendship will bring when their second meeting is overshadowed by Aggie having found a dead body in her dance teacher's studio. Who poisoned the vile Mrs. Eversham's tea? Was it Miss Marianne, the dance teacher? Could it have been her daughter, Miss Rose? The boy who has set his cap on Miss Rose's hand, Roddy Fusswell? More importantly, who will actually solve the crime? The police... or Aggie and Hector?
Heavily based off of the childhood of the Queen of Mystery, Agatha Christie, "The Body Under the Piano" is a wonderful tribute to Christie's works, and an invigorating middle grade mystery. Readers will be captivated by the small seaside English town and the colorful cast of characters that make up for the sky typically being gray. With so many suspects, how will Aggie and Hector solve the crime? And will another case befall them?
thewintersings's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
eclecticlittleadventures's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
jaynecm's review against another edition
3.75
A charming middle grade mystery, featuring an imagined Agatha Christie as a twelve year old. Particularly amusing was her friend, Hector Perot, a Belgian refugee, and his discussion of the most elegant moustaches he would sport when he was a man.
It took a while for this book to grow on me but I quite enjoyed it and catching the little nods to Agatha Christie's works.
It took a while for this book to grow on me but I quite enjoyed it and catching the little nods to Agatha Christie's works.
ladytiara's review
4.0
Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen: The Body Under the Piano is a great start to a middle-grade mystery series. It's based on the early life of the real-life mystery queen Agatha Christie.
Agatha (Aggie) Morton is a 12-year-old girl who chafes at the restrictions placed on a young girl in Edwardian England. At her nervous mother's insistence, she still has a nursemaid who accompanies her everywhere. She's still grieving her father's recent death. Her only distraction is a new friendship with a young Belgian immigrant named Hector Porot. The two inquisitive children become fast friends after Aggie discovers a body in her dance studio, and they decide to solve the murder themselves.
This is a really delightful book. Aggie and Hector are great characters. The mystery is well done and very reminiscent of Agatha Christie's stories. (I did guess the murderer about halfway through, but I've read a lot of mysteries and I think readers in the targeted age group will be thrilled with the big reveal.) There's some examination of class and privilege. Aggie's family is struggling a bit financially since her father's death, but she still leads a very privileged life and is shocked to learn that a family servant is living in an unheated shack. Hector is an immigrant living on charity, so he's treated with some suspicion by the town. There's also some discussion on social changes, as Aggie's dance teacher, who ends up being a suspect in the murder, is a suffragette and doesn't believe that women need to be married.
This is a really fun book for middle grade readers, and it was an entertaining read for this adult too. It's the sort of book I wish had existed when I was a kid, just starting out on reading Agatha Christie.
I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.
Agatha (Aggie) Morton is a 12-year-old girl who chafes at the restrictions placed on a young girl in Edwardian England. At her nervous mother's insistence, she still has a nursemaid who accompanies her everywhere. She's still grieving her father's recent death. Her only distraction is a new friendship with a young Belgian immigrant named Hector Porot. The two inquisitive children become fast friends after Aggie discovers a body in her dance studio, and they decide to solve the murder themselves.
This is a really delightful book. Aggie and Hector are great characters. The mystery is well done and very reminiscent of Agatha Christie's stories. (I did guess the murderer about halfway through, but I've read a lot of mysteries and I think readers in the targeted age group will be thrilled with the big reveal.) There's some examination of class and privilege. Aggie's family is struggling a bit financially since her father's death, but she still leads a very privileged life and is shocked to learn that a family servant is living in an unheated shack. Hector is an immigrant living on charity, so he's treated with some suspicion by the town. There's also some discussion on social changes, as Aggie's dance teacher, who ends up being a suspect in the murder, is a suffragette and doesn't believe that women need to be married.
This is a really fun book for middle grade readers, and it was an entertaining read for this adult too. It's the sort of book I wish had existed when I was a kid, just starting out on reading Agatha Christie.
I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.
chigh's review
4.0
Read this with the kid and we thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved listening to my kid try to Moodle through the mystery.