The Case of the Vanishing Emerald Book 2

Reviewed by: Phyllis Fuchs - Curtis Memorial Library, Brunswick, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: November 18, 2015

Review

Here is a brief but entertaining introduction to mystery stories in this second book in a series titled The Mysteries of Maisie Hitchens. Maisie is a twelve year old living in a boarding house owned and operated by her grandmother in 19th century London. Maisie enjoys puzzles and she wants to be a detective. In a book that can be read independently of other titles in the series, Maisie gets her chance to do some sleuthing when she is asked to be the dresser for an actress who has "lost" an emerald necklace and is also experiencing a series of accidents. Who is playing these tricks? Readers get to observe just how Maisie dismisses ghosts and the supernatural in favor of logical thinking and finding real evidence in order to solve mysteries. The chapters are written in generous-sized type and illustrated throughout with amusing and frequently helpful pen and ink illustrations. Girls of about nine through twelve years may find enough suspense to keep the under 200 pages turning rapidly. They will also get to note the title and some of the plot of the next book coming in the series.

Overall Book Score: good