Museum Mystery Squad and the Case of the Roman Riddle

Reviews / Votes

'Mike Nicholson's book focuses on a space that does not receive much attention in children's literature, and there is a clear desire to celebrate museums as spaces of imagination and learning. There is a very interesting interplay between text and image in the book, as the story is interposed by numerous illustrations, graphs and quizzes that visually make the book very visually stimulating.'
-- Armadillo

'I just finished reading both books -- they are so much fun!'
-- Ms Kirke Kook, Manager and Curator, Andrew Carnegie Birthplace Museum

'All of the books in this series are fast-moving, filled with interesting facts that should spur readers on to their own explorations, well-written, fun and wonderfully illustrated with black and white drawings by Mike Phillips.'
-- Youth Services Book Review

'There is so much to love about this book. A quick shout out for those with dyslexic children the font and spacing is good as is the creamy pages. I realise there are many things to look at but it has had the thumbs up from a few customers who need to look at this before a purchase. [...] A great story and characters, lots of hands on interaction/involvement, fun illustrations, terrible jokes and a great read whether you are sharing your story-time or you are an independent reader.'
-- Bookworm (indie bookshop, Selkirk)

'It made me laugh and I really enjoyed the facts and I think the second one sounds like it will be really good.'
-- Mairin, age 7 years

'For Jonah, reading is not something that fills him with enthusiasm. Due to dyslexia and the complications it can bring to simply read a text, picking up a book is something that Jonah considers to be hard work. That is until with great enthusiasm he read 'Mammoth'. We had begun to read it together before he went to sleep but he couldn't wait for the story to end and so continued to read on his own! He loved the subject matter - mammoths are a big hit (!) and he really enjoyed the games and the quizzes. Within a few nights the book was finished and Jonah asked if we could buy the other book in the series. Completing a book on his own was a real confident boost to Jonah and he genuinely found the whole experience to be great fun. As a parent this was a joy to see! Thank you Mike for your brilliant books and your excellent storytelling. You captured the mind and imagination of a nine year old boy who never would have thought stepping into a book could be so much fun!'
-- Parent of Jonah, age 9 years

'My 7yr old loves to read. [...] She loved the museum mysteries which took her about a week to read each one. Her imagination has been gripped [...] All in these books have become a loved part of Anna's book shelves. Perfect for her age group. A page turner she can enjoy on her own with some words and phrases she'd not come across before to challenge her.'
-- Parent of Anna, age 7 years

'Grace absolutely loved them and devoured each one [both Museum Mystery Squad books] in a day. The characters and the plot really captured her imagination and she really enjoyed the way that facts were interspersed throughout (she loves a good fact!) The games and quizzes at the back were a big hit too -- she really enjoyed doing the "which character are you" quiz. I can always tell how much Grace genuinely enjoys a book by how long she talks about it afterwards -- the Museum Mystery Squad books were a good couple of weeks and would have been more if numbers 3 and 4 had been available. [...] Grace is very much looking forward to the next two books in the series.'
-- Parent of Grace, age 8 years

'Nicholson slips in fact boxes and a miniquiz as well as some red herrings to confuse matters. Phillips adds coded messages, screen shots, and diary pages to cartoon views of the squad in action. A final word-search puzzle (with answers) serves as both brain teaser and review. [...] The historical information is a bit flimsy, but deduction and slick detective work save the day.'
-- Kirkus