Home › Find a book › Anisha, Accidental Detective
Anisha, Accidental DetectiveSerena Patel
Anisha, Accidental Detective
by Serena Patel
The day before her aunt's wedding, the groom vanishes and a ransom note appears. Anisha would rather be doing science, but somebody has to fix it.
A story about children and families, funny and adventurous in tone. We would put it with children of 7–10, and at a reading age of about 8 for reading alone.
Nothing flagged
We have not flagged any content in this one that a parent would usually want warning about.
Part of a series
This is book 1 of the Anisha, Accidental Detective series, so there is more to read if it goes down well — which is worth a great deal with a reluctant reader.
Our take on this book
The day before her aunt's wedding, the groom disappears and a ransom note turns up in his place, and Anisha — who would much rather be doing science than sorting out the adults — is the only one keeping a cool enough head to investigate. Serena Patel launches her series with a genuinely funny mystery wrapped inside a big, loving, gloriously chaotic family preparing for a wedding, and Anisha is a wonderful lead: practical, curious and quietly brave. It is short-chaptered and heavily illustrated, ideal for a child moving into chapter books who wants a real puzzle rather than a reader, and the British Asian family life is drawn with warmth and specific, joyful detail. Nothing here will worry a young reader; the peril is entirely of the caper sort. For a seven- to ten-year-old it is a bright, warm-hearted, giggle-filled detective story and the start of a series schools and children have taken to enthusiastically.
If they like this, try these
Chosen by matching age, reading age, tone and subject — not by what is selling.
Flat StanleyJeff Brown
George's Marvellous MedicineRoald Dahl
My Brother Is a SuperheroDavid Solomons
Or let them write their own.
Nothing gets a child reading like a story they invented themselves. Your child plans the characters and the plot, and we write, illustrate and print it as a real book with their name on the cover as the author.
Find another book
Tell us the age, the reading age and what they like, and we will suggest a handful.