Harriet Bean and the League of Cheats [Hardcover]

Alexander McCall Smith (Author), Laura Rankin (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2, 2006 | Age Level: 7 and up | Series: Harriet Bean

Harriet Bean loves nothing more than a good mystery. And together with her five extraordinary aunts (Veronica, Harmonica, Majolica, and twins Japonica and Thessalonika), she is always ready to take on a new case.

Harriet doesn't think twice when her mind-reading detective aunts Japonica and Thessalonika enlist her help in catching a cheat at the racetrack. After all, Harriet is just the right size to go undercover as a jockey. But when the plan takes an unexpected turn, Harriet finds herself in the saddle!

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for internationally bestselling author Alexander McCall Smith:

“At a certain point in reading the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency books, I experienced something I haven’t felt
since reading Nancy Drew books as a child. I no longer wanted to read about Mma Ramotswe: I wanted to be her.”

–The Vancouver Sun --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Alexander McCall Smith has written more than 50 books, including the bestselling No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency mysteries and The Sunday Philosophy Club. A professor of medical law at Edinburgh University, he was born in what is now Zimbabwe and taught law at the University of Botswana.
Laura Rankin is the illustrator of Rabbit Ears, Swan Harbor and The Handmade Alphabet. She lives in Maine.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books (May 2, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582349762
• ISBN-13: 978-1582349763
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,199,528 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Alexander McCall Smith was born in what is now Zimbabwe and taught law at the University of Botswana. He is now Professor of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh. He has written more than fifty books, including a number of specialist titles, but is best known for The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, which has achieved bestseller status on four continents. In 2004 he was awarded British Book Awards Author of the Year and Booksellers Association Author of the Year. He lives in Scotland, where in his spare time he is a bassoonist in the RTO (Really Terrible Orchestra).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Harriet Becomes A Detective, June 19, 2006

By 

Jon Linden (Warren, N.J. United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Harriet Bean and the League of Cheats (Hardcover)

In his last Harriet Bean book, McCall Smith reveals that Harriet has twin Aunts who are detectives. With Smith's bent toward detective stories it is little wonder he wasted no time creating one for Harriet. That is how the book starts off.

The aunts have found that there is something wrong with the horseracing business and the races seem to be fixed in some way. They need more information in order to figure out how it is being done. It must be done by the jockeys considering the high level security around the horses. And Harriet is just the right size to pose as a jockey.

Harriet has her moments of doubt and dread, but in the end, she does solve the mystery. Readers will find Smith using his familiar style and ethics. He notes that cheating is a bad thing and that people should not do it. The book is recommended for readers from 7 to 12 years of age.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good series of books, December 30, 2009

By 

L. Bowen (NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Harriet Bean and the League of Cheats (Hardcover)

We really like Alexander McCall Smith books, and this is no exception. My 6 yr old son loves detective and mystery stories and these are really well written and interesting, fun to read aloud for the whole family.

5.0 out of 5 stars harriet bean and the league of cheats, December 19, 2011

By 

Charles J. Geiss "lector zurdo" (valparaiso, in USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Harriet Bean and the League of Cheats (Bloomsbury Chapter Books) (Paperback)

In 2010,to our youngest grandchild, Lucy, we sent a Harriet Bean story. She enjoyed it and requested H.B.and the League of Cheats. Her wish will be granted in 2011. She is an avid reader at 9 almost 10 years old. She doesn't read what she doesn't like. She likes McCall Smith's stories.