Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Home > Books > The Mizzy Mysteries: A Skeleton in the Closet

The Mizzy Mysteries: A Skeleton in the Closet

Add to Favourites
Please login to bookmark Close
book-of-the-month

Book Synopsis

Brand new for 8- to 12-year-old murder-mystery readers in 2025, debut author Claire Hatcher-Smith’s unique detective heroine Mizzy will steal your heart! Perfect for fans of Robin Stevens and Sharna Jackson. ‘A brilliant debut’ The Bookseller
Twelve-year-old Mizzy dreams of being a detective and she won’t let anything stand in her way — not her reputation for tall tales, or her embarrassing fear of escalators, and definitely not her Down syndrome. Dumped for the summer with cousins who’ve outgrown her, Mizzy feels even more sidelined than usual. But when she discovers Great Aunt Jane’s diaries in a locked wardrobe in their spare room, and realises her aunt didn’t die in her sleep but under suspicious circumstances, everything changes. What’s more … someone in the family appears to have been involved.

Under the guise of a family-tree project for school, and armed with a brand new set of Pipsqueak markers, Mizzy grabs the chance to prove herself to her cousins — and the world.

Our Review Panel says...

Mizzy is a feisty, nearly 13-year-old girl who just happens to have Down Syndrome. She wants to be a marvellous detective, although her family think she’s more like her dad’s (Great) Aunt Jane, the village busybody. To date, she hasn’t solved a single mystery, although that might change when the holidays start. During the holidays, Mizzy stumbles upon Great Aunt Jane’s missing diaries. It transpires that somebody poisoned the old relative, and she didn’t just die in her sleep. What ensues is a comedy-style investigation to rule out relatives.

Mizzy reminded me of a young Miss Marple. Mizzy talks about how her Down Syndrome affects her (spelling, lack of direction), and this book could be used to teach empathy and awareness.

An interesting mystery that made me laugh out loud at times. I would recommend this book to fans of Melissa Savage, Enid Blyton and Lauren Child.

This book is available on these booklists:

The Mizzy Mysteries: A Skeleton in the Closet

Add to Favourites (0)
Please login to bookmark Close
the mizzy mysteries a skeleton in the closet

Book Details

Format:
Publish Date:

SAVE 20% with Peters

Visit our booklists on Amazon

Support independent Bookshops

Booklists you might also like...

Subscribe to our newsletter

Your Review

Stone Girl Bone Girl

review

Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:

Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:

Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?

Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?

Would you recommend the book for use in primary schools?

yes

Curriculum links (if relevant)

Curriculum links (if relevant)

Any other comments

Any other comments