Pauline Hosking (text), Kat Chadwick (illus.), Cinnamon Stevens Crime Buster, Lilly Pilly Publishing, 1 Dec 2015, 193pp., $16.99 (pbk), ISBN: 9780994398260
While on a Year 7 camp on Philip Island, wannabe detective, Cinnamon Stevens, becomes caught up in the mystery of her missing classmate and tent buddy, Becki Shrieber.
Cinnamon Stevens desperately wants to be like her father and brother, working at solving crimes. So when Becki, disappears from school camp one night, Cinnamon thinks this is her big chance. Even though she had shared the same tent on the night of Becki’s disappearance, Cinnamon does not let her lack of first hand evidence hold her back.
Pauline Hosking’s skill in writing this first person narrative connects the reader to the main character, feisty Cinnamon Stevens, helping the reader to feel like a companion to Cinnamon and her ‘bestie’, Cossie Leigh Burstall and her newest friend, ‘braniac’, Meera Kryzwicki, in their pursuit for the truth. All the characters were vivid, amusing or scary with each diary entry description. The illustrations by Kat Chadwick and the different fonts, footnotes and graphic depictions for Cinnamon’s sleuthing notes and phone messages and even the shortcut spelling like ‘tho’ for though, were enjoyable, breaking the chunks of information into an easily readable novel for the target audience of 10+.
The author adds into the story the daily insecurities of a 12 year old such as physical development, romantic interests, and the angst of school, friendships and families; but these could have been better woven into the story so that the momentum of the plot was not held back by a few of these seemingly unrelated events.
Set in Australia, Cinnamon Stevens Crime Buster is a fun, mystery chapter book, mostly aimed at girls 10 years and older. A book of mystery, friendship and growing up but with a cautionary message for kids that adults are working on serious matters all the time to protect families and communities.
Pauline Hosking writes plays for children, teens and adults and Cinnamon Steven’s Crime Buster is her first book. The next book in the Cinnamon Stevens series, Dead Scared, is currently being written.
Reviewed by Sharon Smith