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Ernie Lindsey

The Marshmallow Hammer Detective Agency: A Middle Grade Mystery (Paperback)

The Marshmallow Hammer Detective Agency: A Middle Grade Mystery (Paperback)

Regular price $14.99 USD
Regular price $19.99 USD Sale price $14.99 USD
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*Winner of the 2015 Big Al's Books and Pals Readers' Choice Award for Middle Grade Fiction*
 
Embark on a thrilling adventure with The Marshmallow Hammer Detective Agency, a middle-grade mystery novel that will ignite the imaginations of young readers and assure parents of a safe and engaging journey into the world of sleuthing!

As Hat Tintersmoot, an aspiring young detective, celebrates her twelfth birthday, an enigmatic package arrives, sparking an intriguing mystery that demands her skills.

Inside, a golden egg adorned with mysterious symbols and a cryptic note set the stage for an exciting quest. With the companionship of a new best friend, Hat faces a series of five challenging clues, each one drawing her closer to uncovering a monumental secret.

This book, perfect for middle-grade readers, encourages critical thinking, celebrates friendship, and inspires the courage to chase one’s dreams.

Dive into this tale of mystery and adventure, and watch as your child becomes captivated by the power of imagination and the joy of solving puzzles and riddles along with the main character.

Adults love it too!

The Marshmallow Hammer Detective Agency is not just a book; it's a gateway to a world of wonder and discovery for young readers.

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Big Al's Books and Pals Review:

Twelve year-old Halcyone Acasia Tintersmoot, known as “Hat” (her initials and the thing you wear on your head). She has this nickname for the obvious reason that her real name is a mouthful. She’s the owner of “The Marshmallow Hammer Detective Agency.”

You won’t find it in the phone book, but it is as real as it gets, at least to Hat. Hat mentions other cases she’s worked on and sometimes solved. “The Case of the Disappearing Toothbrush,” is one. You’ve probably worked a case like that one yourself. “The Mysterious Case of the Cute Boy on the School Bus” is an open case that Hat manages to solve while working on the current case.

When I read and review children’s books, I’ll sometimes draft The Princess, my now eleven year-old granddaughter, to assist. Our process is for her to read a book first, then tell me what she thought, with likes, dislikes, and a letter grade, just like a report card. I’ll then read the book so I can add my impressions while watching for the things The Princess has mentioned. I think The Mysterious Case of the Golden Egg received the most accolades of any book we’ve done this with. Her report to me started with “I liked this a lot” and ended with, “I’d give it a grade of A plus, plus, plus …” I finally told her I got the idea so she’d stop with the pluses.

The mystery to be solved was set up by Hat’s grandfather, who died three years earlier. Before he died, which he knew was coming, he’d arranged for Hat to receive the first clue on her twelfth birthday. Grandpa Gordon was a private detective and liked to talk to Hat about his cases, which was Hat’s inspiration to become a detective.

One of the comments The Princess made was that the mystery wasn’t like some, where you found out the solution, and felt cheated that the clues weren’t there to solve it while reading. She felt the clues were tough, but also liked that many of them she was able to figure out. The mystery hit the right balance for the age the book is aimed for.

The Princess also thought the book would be fun to read aloud to younger kids and although it would be an easy read for an adult, she thought “even a grownup would like it.”

The Princess was right. I was surprised at how much I liked this book. The clues were fun to try and figure out, and not too easy, even for someone several times older than the target reader.

As Hat works her way through the clues she meets and helps several of her Grandpa’s friends (an aspect of the book The Princess also thought important enough to mention) and in doing so learns a lot of life lessons that Grandpa knew he wouldn’t be around to teach her in person. The Princess and I both hope the author continues this series. It’s off to a great start.

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The Mysterious Case of the Golden Egg is a heartwarming middle grade mystery full of riddles, puzzles, and thoughtful messages about life, love, and happiness. Purchase the paperback with no-risk here on the author's website with a 30-day money back guarantee. 

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