The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Mini Mysteries) Book Review
- Sarah Ickes
- Jun 18
- 2 min read
This is listed for Young Readers Aged 4 – 8
In this child-adaptation of a well-known Agatha Christie novel, the great inspector Hercule Poirot is set to a mystery of rhyming proportions and small activities to engage young readers throughout the storyline. Not to mention that Hastings is a hide-and-seek mouse you are tasked to uncover on each colorful scene ahead!
As the book opens, the reader is greeted by a “list of characters” that is done in pictures. The famous detective lays out the setting with the wealthy family in the large house, and the plethora of disagreements between them. When the older woman is killed by poison, everyone’s suspicions fall onto one man as the killer. But Poirot is not convinced, and investigates further to discover who the real culprit may be.
The illustrations in this book are nicely done and the bold colors would easily capture a child’s eye. I enjoyed picking out Mr. Poirot’s friend, Hastings, as I read over the rhymes in this introduction to the mystery genre for young readers. Parents can expect the author to have kids pick out the clues, identify different facial expressions, and connect the lines with their fingers. While I do feel that these activities would work well to get the reader thinking, and the wordage would increase their overall vocabulary, it is my opinion that this book is a great read for parents to do with their child. Some French words are mentioned, and there is a glossary with definitions in the back, and a few of the activities could benefit with a helping hand as well.
If you are a fan of Agatha Christie, then this might be a great read to share with a young family member or to donate around the holidays.
Want to buy your own copy? I picked mine up at an indie bookshop, but you can also purchase them through any large retailer as well. If you would like to support your favorite local businesses, but they don't have it, just pop on over to Bookshop.org where you can buy any genre book and a portion of the sale goes to whichever bookshop you choose.
Thanks for reading my review and see ya next time!
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