by Boomert - Edie Amelia and the Monkey Shoe Mystery by Sophie Lee 07 Nov 2009

Edie Amelia is made of sterner stuff than the red shoe-owning heroines of fairytale. When Edie finds that one precious red monkey shoe is missing, she packs a detecting kit and marshals her devoted offsider, French bulldog Mister Pants, and her less devoted neighbour, Charisma ‘Cheesy’ Chompster, off in pursuit of clues. The trail involves a seagull, the town dump, fortune cookies, three thugs wearing Einstein masks, spring rolls, an ancient Chinese woman who sells shoes and smokes a pipe, and justice for Edie’s inventor father. This is only a taste of the eccentricities and oddities that make up this unusual, inventive and entertaining short illustrated novel for mid- to upper-primary-aged children. Readers will fall into two camps, those who think the style is clever, elegant and witty. And those who could be irritated by the wordiness, arch asides and names like Michaelmas, Cinnamon (Edie’s parents) and Christmas Jones (the baddie). It is worth persisting as the writing becomes sharper as the story progresses, but ‘all’ repeated three times on the first page is clumsy. The first in a series, it is likely assertive Edie Amelia and her odd family and friends will grow in appeal.