Truly Tan: Hoodwinked! by Jen Storer

Harper Collins, 2016. ISBN 9780733334115
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. In Truly Tan: Hoodwinked, year 4 students Tan and Gloria love being spies in Peppercorn Valley. They keep an eye on things going on around the town and at school, have excellent imaginations and practise their spy skills even when having fun at the swimming pool. A new person in town is the start of an exciting new case. Tan and Gloria start keeping notes on the unusual behaviour of Ophelia Crisp. She is also in year 4 and is staying with her cousin, a girl Tan and Gloria aren't friends with. Ophelia never answers Tan's investigative questions and seems quite suspicious. Why does Ophelia keep missing school? What does she need with a blue blanket? Can Tan and Gloria solve the mystery and find Ophelia when she goes missing?
Truly Tan: Hoodwinked is highly recommended for readers aged 8+. The events unfold through diary entries and the main story. Tan is very technical and loves using unusual words. The definitions are included, helping it resemble a diary. It is written in episodes and each episode has several chapters. The text is descriptive and moves quickly to engage readers within the mystery. Readers will be able to piece the clues together but will they solve it before Tan? Will their predictions be correct?
Kylie Kempster