Max & Maddy and the Chocolate Money Mystery (Bloomsbury Chapter Books) [Paperback]

Alexander McCall Smith (Author), Macky Pamintuan (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Series: Bloomsbury Chapter Books

Meet Max and Maddy Twist: brother and sister and budding detectives.  In The Chocolate Money Mystery, Max and Maddy are called upon to help figure out who is robbing Swiss banks. In The Bursting Balloons Mystery, somebody is sabotaging a hot-air balloon race. In both books, the sinister Professor Sardine seems to be involved. But can Max and Maddy make their case?

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The author of the eternally popular No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series for adults introduces the brother-and-sister team of Max and Maddy, who first turned up in England a decade ago. The children's parents run an ice-cream store, having been forced out of the detective business by the sinister Professor Claude Sardine. Max and Maddy are so good at the game of Clue that a banker from Switzerland invites the children to figure out why Swiss banks are being robbed—by dogs! Of course, Sardine is behind it all, and, of course, Max and Maddy, along with a faithful Saint Bernard, retrieve the money, although Sardine escapes until the next escapade. Featherweight yet fun fare for those just mastering chapter books. Max & Maddy and the Bursting Balloons Mystery is another title in the series. DeCandido, GraceAnne A. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"Fast-moving, lighthearted mystery." --Publishers Weekly
 
"Featherweight yet fun fare for those just mastering chapter books." --Booklist

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens; 1st edition (April 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1599902168
• ISBN-13: 978-1599902166
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,708,502 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

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining introduction to mysteries, October 26, 2009

By 

haupiagirl (Honolulu, HI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Max & Maddy and the Chocolate Money Mystery (Bloomsbury Chapter Books) (Paperback)

Max and Maddy have learned detective skills from their parents and by playing the game Clue. They use these problem-solving skills to help a Swiss banker find robbers who have been using dogs to do their deeds. The writing is as witty and sharp as McCall Smith's books written for adults.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Plot, October 17, 2011

By 

Ohioan - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Max & Maddy and the Chocolate Money Mystery (Max and Maddy Series) (Hardcover)

Max and Maddy, whose parents were once detectives, travel to Switzerland, where they solve the mystery of how and why St. Bernard dogs are robbing banks. The dogs are being kidnapped -- make that dognapped -- by the villain Claude Sardine, and then trained to rob banks. Max and Maddy hatch a clever plan in which they find the hideout of Sardine, rescue the St. Bernards, and bring back the stolen money.

While this book has a good plot, Max and Maddy don't seem to have any unique character traits. In addition, the writing consists of a lot of description and little dialogue. There's no real sense of danger and the pace of the book is a bit slow. The setting is great, though, and the dogs are wonderful.