The Great Cake Mystery: Precious Ramotswe's Very First Case (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency) - Tapa dura

"A detective is born! What a delightful, breezy read!"
--Mary Pope Osborne, bestselling author of The Magic Tree House series

"Told with an innocence that will captivate young readers, The Great Cake Mystery is a kind-hearted, feel-good story for all. Loved it!"
--Graham Salisbury, author of Under the Blood-Red Sun and the Calvin Coconut series

"Kids will love this kind and clever new detective. They'll love the mystery, and they might even love the thieves. I look forward to more!"
--Patricia Reilly Giff, award-winning author of Wild Girl and other books

"Good for kids who like mysteries and stories about other cultures and friendship all packed into one." --TIME for Kids magazine

"Stunning artwork. . . . A compelling plot and interesting secondary characters, especially classmates who are quick to make unfounded accusations and their teacher, who provides wisdom just when it is needed, will leave readers wanting more. One case where an adaptation from an adult book is as much fun to read as the original."
--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"This mini mystery and its jaw-dropping illustrations will please proto-detectives, both large and small. . . . What [McCall Smith]'s done with The Great Cake Mystery is unique. . . . His fans will pluck it up like so many of his other books. . . . A really fun read."
--School Library Journal

"Bold and striking, McIntosh's chunky, two-color woodcutlike pictures present evocative images of the African setting. This is a story, and a heroine, with impressive dimension."
- Publishers Weekly, starred review

Considering a future as a detective years before the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency is established, 8-year-old Precious Ramotswe investigates the disappearance of a piece of cake when she believes that a young boy has been wrongly accused of stealing it as well as perpetrating a series of playground thefts, in a young reader's spin-off of the popular adult mystery series. Simultaneous.