Alexander McCall Smith. Max & Maddy and the Chocolate Money Mystery
Knopf Canada  $12.95  ISBN 978-0-676-97774-5 72   80 pg.
Reviewed by Colleen, Age 10

Max and Maddy’s parents are private detectives, but when evil Professor Sardine comes up with a malicious plan and gets them out of work, there’s no one to help solve any of the crimes that have happened anymore. One day, the Huffendorf bank is robbed and no one knows what to do. But Max and Maddy are very good at the game Cluedo and Mr. Huffendorf hears of them and asks them to solve the robbery in Switzerland. Max and Maddy go through a lot of dangerous events and are not sure if they can solve it, since it is their first mystery. But with clever plans and a great deal of courage, they might manage to solve it.

Max & Maddy and the Chocolate Money Mystery is a very humorous book and is suspenseful. However, there could have been more clues to help solve the problem instead of just finding the solution abruptly. At times, the antagonist or the person behind all this crime was too obvious and I thought that there could have been more of a surprise so that the reader would be more interested in reading on. In general, this book was very creative and I enjoyed it very much.I rate Max & Maddy and the Chocolate Money Mystery 4 stars.