Do you love a good book? Our Children’s Librarians do! And we’re excited to share some great recommendations with you. This page gets updated regularly with reviews of the latest books we’ve been reading.
The Skeleton Puzzle by Lisa Thompson
Increasingly, I look forward to each new Goldfish Boy mystery that Lisa Thompson publishes. These stories involve the seemingly quiet cul-de-sac, Chestnut Close, which is the home of her characters Matthew (named the Goldfish Boy in the first novel because his OCD caused him to spend so much time in his bedroom looking out of his window) and his friends and neighbours Melody and Jake. In The Skeleton Puzzle, the three return to solve a new mystery based around a missing boy and some stolen jewels, which all begins when a skeleton in unearthed in the garden of an elderly neighbour. If that isn’t enough to keep them busy (which it is!), Jake has his own problems at home with his mum’s mental health, while Matthew is acting strangely and won’t confide in his friends why or where he keeps disappearing to.
Reading and sympathising with Jake, as he tried to put together the facts of the mystery while battling his problems at home and trying to solve the main mystery, was fun. Meanwhile, the supporting cast of adult characters in Chestnut Close all bring a different perspective and something new to the story. Overall, Lisa Thompson is such a good writer, and her stories are such enjoyable reads that if you’ve read her previous Goldfish Boy mysteries, and liked them, then this is one not to be missed. And if you haven’t read her books before, this is as good a story to begin with—and my guess is it will make you want to go back and read her earlier stories, too.
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Lisa Thompson’s website here
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