The Great Cake Mystery by Alexander McCall Smith illustrated by Iain McIntosh*

I read Alexander McCall Smith's first book in his series The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency years ago and thoroughly enjoyed Precious, the main character.  Now young readers can enjoy Precious as a children and solve her first cases with her.

I read this aloud to my nine year old in one sitting.  We both thought it was excellent and delightful!
Special treats are being stolen in Precious' school.  The children are not too fond of the lunch (the same menu every. single. day.!) so they pack a treat to enjoy after lunch.  A couple of the children blame Poloko, an overweight boy, for stealing their treats.  But there is no evidence.  Precious is determined to figure out who is really taking the treats, and along the way befriends Poloko.

The children learn (and the reader) the importance of not jumping to conclusions and to not make accusations without evidence.
Precious is a nice and friendly character.  Her disposition adds a lightness and warmth to the story.

I appreciate how Mr. Smith includes how to pronounce the characters' names within the story.  It annoys me when I have no idea how to pronounce a character's name!  He also includes a character guide, geography guide of Botswana, pre-reading, during reading and post reading questions , curriculum connections (reading guide/curriculum connections prepared by Connie Rockman) and a sponge cake recipe in the back.

Four books in this series.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.