Mariella Mystery: The Disappearing Dinner Lady

the stories are ideal for building stamina in newly independent readers.

Illustrated throughout with Kate Pankhurst's quirky, charismatic artwork, and containing lots of tips for aspiring young sleuths, covering everything from setting up your own detective headquarters to undercover surveillance, the first book in the Mariella Mystery series is perfect for children who are beginning to develop confidence with chapter books. Pankhurst puts her own fun, tongue-in-cheek spin on the coventions of the detective story to create a lively and enjoyable story that young readers will find irresistible.

Wittily told in words and pictures, Mariella Mystery, a totally amazing nine year detective, sets about following clues in an entertaining and action packed adventure.

Fans of Clarice Bean, Dork Diaries and Tom Gates will love this seventh title in the series about young detective Mariella Mystery - there's no mystery too mysterious, no problem too perplexing!

The Disappearing Dinner Lady is another entertaining tale in the Mariella Mystery series and is set against the backdrop of the upcoming school play, the Princess and the Pea. The book is written in the familiar quirky style, complete with extracts from Mariella's diaries, operations notes, hints and tips and very funny illustrations.