Middle-grade mystery brings back Poirot

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 18/04/2020 (2345 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Agatha Christie’s novels have sold more than two billion copies, mainly to adult readers. Now veteran author Marthe Jocelyn has invented a new series featuring Aggie Morton, Jocelyn’s fictional character representing Christie as an 11-year-old child with her best friend Hector Poirot, a young version of Christie’s famous Belgian detective.

In Aggie Morton Mystery Queen: The Body Under the Piano (Tundra, $19, hardcover) she launches this series in a robust, witty tale that will catch the attention of many readers.

Aggie is endlessly curious and adventurous while her friend Hector Poirot is cautious, methodical and loyal. When she discovers the body of an unpleasant neighbour under the piano after a dance recital, she and Hector need to use all their resources to keep the murder from being blamed on their innocent dancing mistress.

Laced with plenty of humour, this is a fun read aimed at mystery enthusiasts ages 10 and up. Young readers will look forward to more books in the Aggie Morton Mystery Queen series.

● ● ●

Readers who love words, and especially those who love poetry, will enjoy Explosion at the Poem Factory by Brooklyn author Kyle Lukoff (Groundwood, $19, hardcover).

There is a sketchy plot: a former piano instructor takes a job at a poem factory which grinds out manufactured poems; but when the factory explodes (the metaphor mixer malfunctions) he becomes a teacher and sharer of home-grown poems. The real fun in this book, though, is learning all the strange words that apply to poetry: alliteration, caesura, hyperbole for instance.

While it’s rated for ages 4-8, this unique book is probably better suited for older readers who enjoy verbal jousting. Do you know the difference between a sestina and a sonnet? A haiku and a heroic couplet? A simile and a synonym? Lukoff, a former bookseller and school librarian, will tell you.

Amusing illustrations by American artist Mark Hoffmann add to the appeal of this book.

● ● ●

Anyone who has ever seen Winnipeg from the air knows that our canopy of trees is an important part of our city’s landscape. A Forest in the City (Groundwood, $20, hardcover), by Toronto writer Andrea Curtis, tells everything you need to know about city trees: how and where to plant them, how to protect them, how they help us breathe and live.

Did you know that an urban forest can lower crime rates? Or improve traffic safety? There’s even a section on how readers can help keep the trees in the city healthy.

Beautiful (mainly green) gouache illustrations by Montreal artist Pierre Pratt help make this book for 8- to 11-year-olds an attractive choice.

● ● ●

There are plenty of books about innocent rabbits and intelligent owls. But what about the ones that commit mayhem on their neighbours?

In Wanted! Criminals of the Animal Kingdom (Kids Can Press, $20, hardcover) by B.C. author Heather Tekavec, young readers (grades 1-4) are introduced in a humorous way to some of the culprits.

From a fish that lures his next meal with a light at the end of a fishing rod to a bird that steals shiny objects to impress a mate, Tekavec describes thirteen creatures that either trap, steal, lie, or misbehave to help them survive. By portraying them on “Wanted” posters junior sleuths learn details about a variety of lesser-known offenders.

Do you know the monkfish? The tufted capuchin? The Roman snail? All is revealed as Tekavec writes witty rap sheets for each creature that will cause early readers to chuckle as they learn.

Hungarian artist Susan Batori has added amusing acrylic and pastel illustrations that make each suspect entertaining.

Helen Norrie is a former teacher/librarian who learns a lot from children’s books.