✨Murder at the Museum (2023)

by Aladair Beckett-King

Illustrated by Claire Powell

4Rbooks 6/6 grades 4-7

Amazon 4.7/5 reading age 9-12 years

Goodreads 4.09/5

Common Sense Media Not yet reviewed

277 pages

Synopsis

There has been a murder and a theft at the Hornville Museumof Natural History and Suchlike. The Widdlington Eagle has been stolen and Oliver Munday, a guard at the museum, was found murdered by a poison dart in his neck. Bonnie Montgomery, 10, was there with her grandfather when it happened. Bonnie is curious about the case and sets out to solve it before the police do. With the help of her grandfather, who still drives his old ice cream truck, Bonnie gets to work.

At the same time, world famous private investigator Montgomery Bonbon has also taken up the case. Montgomery has solved many other cases over the past year. He wears a mustache, speaks with an ever changing foreign accent, and is about the size of a 10-year-old girl.

There are plenty of suspects but no obvious killer. When Harriet Spruce is arrested, Bonnie realizes that the police, and Montgomery Bonbon, have made a mistake. She contnues to hunt for evidence and put the clues together until she has identified the culprit.

Parent Guidelines low

A man is murdered by a poison dart.

There is one drawing of naked statues on a building (not showing anything in appropriate).

Bonnie's mom is into "spiritual things" and follows the advice of guru Jonathan Jonathan.

Recommendation

This is the debut novel of a British stand-up comedian who is well-known for his youtube videos. I know nothing of his videos, but this is an excellent novel for children. It is the first of three written, so far, with a fourth due early next year. Bonnie Montgomery (Montgomery Bonbon) is a precocious 10-year-old who can be sassy at time, and appropriately respectful when necessary. The other characters are just wacky and different enough to be fascinating. The illustrations help with that perception. The illustrations are great and a part of every chapter.

The plot is believable and understandable for children. The clues make sense, and Bonnie's deductions are sensible. The final conclusion is not a surprise, but it wasn't obvious earlier in the story. Some reviewers compare this to Agatha Christie Poirot mysteries, but for children.

The concept is silly (10-year-old girl pretending to be a foreign adult male) but is believable as written and children should easily be able to place themselves in Bonnie's shoes, solving crimes the adults can't figure out. I think reading book one will easily lead to a desire to read books 2, 3, and eventually 4. I hope they are written as well, and as appropriately, for elementary children. The writing is humorous, maybe not laugh out loud, but definitely will bring a smile and a chuckle.