Copycat by Kelli Anne Hawkins

11 year old Skye Starling loves her hometown, Seagulls Nest, so much so that she wrote a book about it - a mystery novel with the star fictional detective she created, 'Red Fox' but just as she's finishing it, it gets stolen! And then the crimes she wrote in the novel start coming true all over town! With the crimes happening in real life, everyone in town acting suspiciously and knowing what comes next, it's up to Skye to uncover the culprit! Lucky for her, she has her cat, Admiral Mittens, whose a clever kitten; her new friend, who will believes in her sleuthing abilities; and egg sandwiches - available aplenty in the town known for chooks, eggs and egg sandwiches.

This middle grade detective novel is full of animals, humour, relationships, and all the aspects of a small country Australian town (strangely obsessed with chickens and egg sandwiches). All the characters are well developed, with the right amount of humour and mystery for a middle grade novel. Evenly paced, the story moves well, with excerpts from the main characters novel, showing what crime is about to be discovered. The novel has numerous relationships that are explored through the novel, along with delightful animal companions that add depth to the story. Fans of R.A. Spratt's Friday Barnes detective series would enjoy this book, as well as the Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens series. It is unknown if there will be another 'Copycat' book, making it into a series, or if it will remain a stand alone novel.

Themes: Mystery, Crime, Detectives, Humour, Country Town, Animals, Writer.

Melanie Pages