The Wells & Wong Mystery Series by Robin Stevens
An excellent mystery series for young readers. Well… for “young” readers. Young at heart, maybe. Truth is, I’m the only one in my family to have read these. My children don’t necessarily share my mania for mystery. Too bad for them.
Why I liked these books so much:
- Fun to read. The stories are quick-paced, energetic and interesting.
- These are actual murder mysteries. It’s not very common to have bodies in books written for young people. Not modern books, anyway. But these manage to make the stakes high without being too scary. What I like about this is the author is taking her readers, no matter their age, seriously. There are no winky messages or jokes here that only grownups will understand. The children solve murders. “Grownups always underestimate children. Children never underestimate each other.”
- Characters. Hazel Wong and Daisy Wells are one of the best detective duos I’ve ever read. They are best friends at a boarding school in England in the 1930s. Hazel is from Hong Kong and has to deal with being an outsider in a world in which Daisy is a natural insider. Their sparring is funny and insightful and the friendship is nuanced and rich.
- It’s a fun way to learn more about a time and place in history. Boarding schools are fascinating to me.
There are more of these books available on the English market than here in the U.S. and I’m wondering how to get my hands on them.