Jo Clarke Books

This is the third book in the Travelling School series, a delightful idea where the school travels to different locations and the children have adventures in each place.

Manhattan lends itself very well to such adventures, full of great locations for each episode in the book. Whilst this is a third instalment, the book can be read as a standalone and the characters’ relationships are quickly explained. All the thrills of the American setting come through including a Hollywood star, who is central to the mystery, as well as visits to iconic New York landmarks with a handy map to guide readers through the locations as the mystery unfolds.

The cover quote from Rashmi Sirdeshpande completely sums the book up as ‘cosy crime for kids.’ It is very cosy and whilst the villain isn’t a particularly nice person, there is never a terrible threat and the reader is always aware that Libby and her friends will win. There is something very comforting about a book where the plot is guessable and yet the twists are still a surprise. People are not always who they first appear to be and this lesson serves readers with a perfectly good introduction to that fact – a key marker of all good literary mysteries. The cover and illustrations come from Becka Moore and she completely captures the characters, mild zaniness and all.

Manhattan is the star of the book as is clear from the cover, with the Chrysler building taking the stage alongside the New York brownstone buildings. My daughter, the target market, fell upon this book; she adored the first two, and she is going to be delighted that there is a fourth one in the offing.