107. Precious and the Monkeys by Alexander MCall Smith

Precious and the Monkeys by Alexander McCall Smith
Published April 2012 Polygon


From the publisher:

Well before Precious Ramotswe founded her No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, as a seven-year-old girl she was already solving mysteries. Here, in this delightful, enchanting tale for children, we find out just who has been stealing her schoolfriends’ snacks and how the young Precious became the crafty and intuitive private investigator we all know and love!

I am so happy to see another young that isn't about fairies, puppies or magic bunnies.  A seven year old reader will have no idea who Precious Ramotswe is, and that is fine, you don't need to know who she is to enjoy this book.



The book is obviously set in Africa (Botswana), the stories of lions, the extreme heat and the cheeky monkeys are testament to that, but the story is universal and because of this it will appeal to all readers. Alexander McCall Smith has even kindly given us the pronunciation for some of the trickier names.

As some of the other books I have read this year, this will be an excellent book for good younger readers, looking for a challenge, but will also appeal to readers 8+ who want a quick, fun story to read.

Who will like this book: Girls age 7+
Read it if you like: the Akimbo books by Alexander McCall Smith