The Great Cake Mystery Precious Ramo..., Alexander McCall Smith
The Great Cake Mystery Precious Ramo..., Alexander McCall Smith
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The Great Cake Mystery: Precious Ramotswe's Very First Case

Author: Alexander McCall Smith

Narrator: Adjoa Andoh

Unabridged: 55 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/03/2012

Synopsis

THE NO. 1 LADIES’ DETECTIVE AGENCY - Young Readers

Fans around the world adore the bestselling No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, the basis of the HBO TV show, and its proprietor Precious Ramotswe, Botswana’s premier lady detective.  In this charming series, Mma  Ramotswe navigates her cases and her personal life with wisdom, and good humor—not to mention help from her loyal assistant, Grace Makutsi, and the occasional cup of tea.
 
Have you ever said to yourself, Wouldn’t it be nice to be a detective?
 
This is the story of an African girl who says just that. Her name is Precious.
 
When a piece of cake goes missing from her classroom, a traditionally built young boy is tagged as the culprit. Precious, however, is not convinced. She sets out to find the real thief. Along the way she learns that your first guess isn’t always right. She also learns how to be a detective.

About The Author

Alexander McCall Smith is the author of the beloved bestselling No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, the Isabel Dalhousie series, the Portuguese Irregular Verbs series, the 44 Scotland Street series, and the Corduroy Mansions series. He is also the author of numerous children’s books. He is professor emeritus of medical law at the University of Edinburgh and has served on many national and international organizations concerned with bioethics. He was born in what is now known as Zimbabwe and taught law at the University of Botswana.

Reviews

Goodreads review by PattyMacDotComma on December 11, 2024

5★ “One thing, you see, does not always lead to another. That is something all detectives learn very early in their career, and Precious had already learned it, and she was only seven.” What a delightful short audio experience this was! I didn’t know that there were children’s books about the very spe......more

Goodreads review by Rebecca on April 17, 2012

The Great Cake Mystery introduces young readers to the lovely setting of Botswana and a precocious young girl named Precious who likes to figure things out. Although she thinks it may be many years before she’ll have a mystery to solve, it turns out that someone in her school is eating people’s snac......more

Goodreads review by Abigail on October 22, 2020

Alexander McCall Smith, creator of the popular No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, about a woman detective in Botswana, turns to the childhood of his popular character, Precious Ramotswe, in this first beginning chapter-book adventure. An observant child with a kind heart, Precious decides fr......more

Goodreads review by Donna on July 29, 2022

A cute, easy middle-grades introduction to the main character of The #1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. The story is sweet, with a lesson about kindness built into it. I especially enjoyed the fantastic illustrations by Iain McIntosh and the helpful name pronunciations.......more

Goodreads review by Infosifter on September 29, 2020

This is a cute mystery story for young children. It advocates values like honesty and kindness through the experiences of likable and believable characters.......more

Quotes

“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

Awards

  • Audie Awards
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