I love this book! Cassie Anderson is eleven years old. She lives with her mother, father and sister Diana who is fourteen. One particular Saturday two things happen, the peacocks from across the road go missing and Cassie decided to write a story. As she notices clues about William Shakespeare and Virginia, the missing peacocks, Cassie also notices many things about her own family. She tries to make sense of what she finds out by writing everything down and ends up with a lot of questions about what is really going on in her family. This book was shortlisted for the Text Prize and it’s not hard to see why. Cassie’s voice is engaging as she seeks to unravel the puzzles of her family and friends. She is assisted in her quest to find the peacocks and the truth about her family which seems to avoid her, by her friend Jonas. Jonas collects assorted, and at times unrelated, facts and shares them at various times. Jonas also has his own questions about family he wants resolved. The setting is a small town in rural Victoria which has a combined primary and high school. From its colourful cover and its engaging voice, this book is a charming read. Although it deals with fairly heavy issues regarding family and problems faced, it does so in a gentle way that makes it a good read for thoughtful readers that may be young. I love this book because it is about many things all at one time
The Peacock Detectives
By Carly Nugent
Perfect for fans of The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street and Waiting for Normal, this charming middle grade mystery is full of heart, humor, and more than a few surprises.
Eleven-turning-twelve-year-old Cassie is an expert Peacock Detective.
Her sharp eye for details is why the Hudsons from across the street call her every time their pet peacocks wander away.
But there are some things even the greatest Peacock Detective can’t figure out, like why her best friend is so angry lately; why her older sister is cutting her hair off; or why her parents are acting like they don’t know each other anymore.
Cassie is an expert at solving things. But what’s a master detective to do when her whole world is changing, and all the answers are out of reach?