Precious and the Monkeys

Title: Precious and the Monkeys

Author: Alexander McCall Smith

Genre: Fiction
Audience: Children
Format: Book - Library

From Goodreads: Have you ever said to yourself, wouldn’t it be nice to be a detective? This is the story of an African girl who says just that. Her name is Precious. When a piece of cake goes missing from her classroom, Precious sets out to find the thief.

What I thought:  I love Alexander McCall Smith's No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency books. I love Mma Ramotswe - her wisdom, her sense of fairness and her ability to handle sticky situations with tact and decorum. This takes us right back to the beginning. Precious Ramotswe is just a child, but already her love of detecting is obvious! McCall Smith moves into writing this series for children with apparent ease and delight. He maintains that lovely unique, almost quirky sense to his writing without dumbing it down for the kids. I also love his economy with words - this is only 73 pages long (with lovely illustrations by Iain McIntosh), but the story if full and robust. Well worth the read for any Mma Ramotswe fans.