With her best friend Hedgehog, EG builds a secret, sleuthing headquarters. Here they meet and create “traps to catch all the bad people in the world” – an admirable aspiration! Pink Rabbit ingratiates himself into their team, and the trio have many mystery solving enjoyable adventures.
This first P.O.N.D. series book, Sweet Crime Sweet Justice, by Gabriella Gordon features a trio of friends – ten year old girl EG, Hedgehog and Pink Rabbit. The combination of these different characters inspires young readers to ‘think outside the box’ in terms of diversity representation and role models. At the target range of 8-11 years, the book has themes of friendship (between species especially) and accepting the differences of others, confronting bullies and solving challenges.
I’d recommend this book for children in the suggested age range, either to read alone so as to help develop skills, or as a group or bedtime read. Parents can use the many action scenes in this adventure as separate discussion and learning points. Overall I award 4.5 stars.
1. Storytelling and Narrative Quality 4.5 Stars
Reader interest is held throughout, with an engaging plot that has several twists and unexpected moments. Narrative quality does not pander to children, as the author uses a full vocabulary.
2. Character Development 4 Stars
Characters do develop and interact with each other well, with distinctive personalities that readers will identify with and enjoy.
3. Educational and Developmental Value 5 Stars
This book does support holistic child development and encourages critical, logical thinking. Introduces puzzle solving and crime detection work, in a palatable form.
4. Illustration Quality 5 Stars
Illustrations complement the story and make the tale more vivid in the readers’ imagination.
5. Emotional Resonance and Impact 4 Stars
The impact of this book encourages readers to experience a variety of emotional reactions through varied exploration, encouraging empathy and reflection.
