If you're in the mood for a delightful mystery sprinkled with the charm of an eight-year-old detective, "The Book Bandit" by Caron Pescatore is your ticket to a whimsical adventure.

Meet Phoebe Chen, an eight-year-old dynamo with a penchant for puzzles and a dream to follow in her detective father's footsteps. As a lover of brain-teasers and mysteries, Phoebe's world is turned upside down when a friend's prized autographed book goes missing. What does she do? Naturally, she steps up to the challenge of becoming the neighborhood's very own detective prodigy.

As I joined Phoebe on her investigative journey, I couldn't help but be enchanted by her enthusiasm and determination. Pescatore brings Phoebe's character to life, making her relatable and endearing. The friendship dynamics, especially with her BFF, add a sweet layer to the story, making it not just a mystery but also a celebration of camaraderie.

The plot is cleverly crafted, with twists and turns that keep both young and old readers engaged. The book balances the joy of solving puzzles with the seriousness of solving a real mystery when Phoebe realizes the evidence might point towards a friend. It's a wonderful lesson in the complexities of detective work, even for an aspiring sleuth like Phoebe.

Packed with riddles, clues, and a dash of humor, "The Book Bandit" captures the essence of childhood curiosity and the thrill of solving a good mystery. The holiday setting adds a festive touch, making it a perfect read for cozy evenings or when you're in the mood for some lighthearted detective work.

In a world where every mystery is an opportunity for adventure, "The Book Bandit" is a delightful chapter book that proves being a detective is not just for grown-ups. So, grab your magnifying glass and join Phoebe on her quest to unmask the elusive book bandit.

This book is fit to serve an even younger audience than the previous work I reviewed.
I have contemplated how mysteries would best be introduced to young children. I might have jumped in the deep end when I was their age, but I missed a lot of subtle innuendos in the books I read because I had no previous awareness of quite a few things. Children nowadays have a lot more exposure, and I think they will take away from, say, Agatha Christie than I did at that age. There are still things I am surprised I missed if and when I reread something!
This book is a cute and simple way of talking about investigation in general and the processing of information in the form of clues. It was not silly enough to bore me, which was also enjoyable.
Phoebe's friend loses a very important signed copy of a book, and the former decides to use her brain and tips her detective father may have dropped to try and figure out who might have done it. I spotted the solution early on but still enjoyed the process. I would highly recommend this as a starter read for the genre. The diverse cast and the inclusion of some of the differing traditions between the friends' families was a great touch.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

Becky is in possession of a very precious signed book. During football practice it goes missing. Her besties Luana and Phoebe use their fabulous detective skills to find it for her again.

The friendship between the girls is really heart warming. Not many friends would go this far to help their friend! Also the detective skills for 8 year olds is very impressive! There is a very sweet theme about not being embarrassed about things you love, whether it’s cuddly toy or books.

I myself love a good detective story and this book did not disappoint! Phoebe is the ultimate clue solver.

Fantastic description throughout which young readers will love as they can imagine every scene in their imagination perfectly.

Recommend for Lower KS2

Young readers will love this book.

This book is funny, interesting, really sweet, and with enough mystery to keep children intrigued. I cannot wait to see the other books in the series.

My son loves chapter books and mysteries (He is definitely my kid, lol) and loved "The Book Bandit" by Pescatore.

Phoebe offers to help her friend find a missing autographed book when it disappears, she loves anything that has to do with a mystery. Her favorite people are her father, a detective, and Nancy Drew, a fictional detective. After conducting interviews and compiling a list of suspects she realizes she has to have evidence, not just a hunch before she begins to accuse others of the "crime."

While I think the book may be too "young" for some of my students, I have recommended it to some of my students. When they begin reading, they complain that she is only 8, but after reading a couple pages, they begin to be sucked into the story and want to talk about where they are in the narrative and what Phoebe and her friends are doing now. Great endorsement!

I was given the opportunity to read this book by NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

This first installment in the Phoebe Chen mystery series is a soft children-friendly introduction to the mystery genre for kids.
It's an innocent enough investigation that will appeal and entertain a rather young audience. The ending was rather anticlimatic, but given the target group it's probably for the best.

The Book Bandit is a clever story for kids. Solving puzzles and mysteries is always fun. The kids show respect for each other’s way of approaching things and help each other along the way.

Phoebe Chen plans to be a detective when she grows up (her father is chief of detectives in the local police department). She’s already solved one case involving a missing locket. Now she and her friend Luana are helping to find an autographed book belonging to their friend Becky. The girls carefully question Becky about the last time she had the book, then trace backward through everyone else who might have had the chance to take it. They discover quite a lot of people who seem to be keeping secrets. But are any of them the book bandit?

Phoebe is a funny character. She only joins the soccer team because her friend Luana says they should, but then enjoys it - despite getting hot and sweaty. She doesn’t really see why autographed books are a big deal, but she does like to read - especially Nancy Drew stories. Luana has to work hard to keep her focused on the investigation because she is distracted by thoughts of her favorite ice cream. And Luana seems to have much more patience with social niceties, although Phoebe points out that they make a good cop/bad cop team with their different approaches.

For readers who enjoy detective stories such as Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew or Encyclopedia Brown, this is another series to enjoy and try to figure out whodunnit before the author reveals the solution

Phoebe Chen and her friend Luana find themselves in the midst of an exciting mystery when their friend Becky informs them that her precious book - autographed by a famous author - is missing!

Intrepid Phoebe seizes this opportunity to investigate, inspired as she is by her father, who is a police detective, and her heroine, Nancy Drew. Luana has a sweet and softer personality, but she ably assists Phoebe in the search for Becky's missing book. Not mention, she has the tough job of making sure that Phoebe's focus stays on their case, rather than on seeking out new opportunities to eat ice cream (which is a major pre occupation of hers!)

As suspects begin to multiply, the girls are faced with the dilemma that it may be one of their other friends who has stolen Becky's book. Along the way, we are also introduced to a boy who loves to read but is teased about it by his friends.

The author does a wonderful job of complicating the case in this fast moving and delightful children's story. She also get points for effortlessly integrating diversity issues without, ahem, making an issue of it. And there are some interesting lessons for children seamlessly woven in here. All in all, it was a fun read, and I look forward to more adventures from Phoebe Chen and her friends!

The Book Bandit: A Phoebe Chen Myster 1 by Caron Pescatore - 5/5

This is an extremely cute mystery chapter book for children. It follows a little girl, Phoebe Chen, as she goes on to solve mysteries. I love that this book addressed issues in a kid friendly manner. The graphics and illustrations are fun and add a little excitement for my children when we come across one. We are just starting to read chapter book, and this is a series I could see my children continuing.


The Book Bandit: A Phoebe Chen Mystery 1 will be available for purchase June 2023

Cute cover and graphics within the story. A nice story for younger readers. The formatting was off for my ebook format. Overall, a great addition to anyone's bookshelf.

Cute book that younger readers will love, especially if they love mystery. The book keeps you entertained and new suspects pop up every now and then. Super cute!

I loved the diverse characters, the titles of the chapters and style of the font (its a nice touch to the eye and I appreciate small details l Iike that). The graphics are nicely done. I really enjoyed this book. Phoebe is a great main character. She is very determined but also gets sidetracked with things like icecream (lol i dont blame her!) and it was a nice mystery to solve. I know young readers who love a little mystery will enjoy it as well! Thank you Netgalley and Caron Pescatore for the advance copy!

My 7 year old niece loved this book! She loved the story, the characters & the detail. She was desperate to keep reading, which is a great sign!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy to review.
Definitely recommended for 7 years +

Thank you so much to Caron Pescatore, Booksgosocial & Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.

Phoebe and Luana come across a mystery when their friend Becky finds her cherished and autographed book has gone missing. Together Phoebe and Luana solve the mystery as though they are Nancy Drew, ice cream and all.

This was a fun mystery I really enjoyed the way it unraveled and how they found each step within the investigation. The girls had such different approaches to figuring out what had happened and Luana had to keep forcing Phoebe to concentrate on anything other than ice cream.

I liked the friendship and how close the girls were, it was interesting how in the end the became closer and finally helped include Chloe in the group more. It was really sweet. Phoebe was very funny and very silly always just wanting her ice cream and not having much else on her mind.

This is a really cute mystery book that I think children would really enjoy, it has diversity, it has a great friend group, a fun mystery, some very funny moment and it’s easy and fun to read. I would recommend it if you have a young reader that loves mysteries they’ll get sunk into this one quickly.

Phoebe and Luana are a contrasting fun little sleuthing duo. One was brash, and the other was kinder and more diplomatic. Their sleuthing style was serious but fun, especially when Luana had to temper Phoebe’s method of investigating. What a delightful start to Phoebe’s series. I love this book💝. It was an entertaining and engaging read.

Such a cute little book for the littles in your life, it follows eight year old Phoebe Chen and her interest in mystery solving. It addresses some important issues in a kid friendly way and Phoebe finds out whether mystery solving is all it’s really cracked up to be. Full of beautiful illustrations this will be a hit with curious little minds.

This was a super cute chapter book. I really like the font for the chapter titles. The graphics and pictures are a lot of fun, and the little images throughout the chapters really stand out. It was easy to read for early readers, and was an entertaining story.

This was such a fun book for the you get readers! Love the illustrations so much, really brings more to the story. This will keep the kids entertained for sure which I’m sure they’ll race through at no time!