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5�
"It was all very well having an idea but as every detective knows only too well, not all ideas solve the case."

This is the second of schoolgirl Precious Ramotswe's first detective cases in Botswana. A new family has moved into the area, bringing children to her school. The girl is a year ahead of Precious, and the boy is a year younger.

Precious sees them standing alone at recess and remembers how lonely it can feel in a new place, so she goes over to chat with them.

They seem like nice kids, but she notices they are both barefoot. She knows how hard it is to walk on hot roads in Botswana in the summer and how tough their feet will have to get for them to manage. When they tell her why they have moved in with their grandparents, she realises how lucky she is to have a father takes such good care of her.

They invite her home to meet their pet - a meerkat! They tell a hair-raising story about their grandfather, a cobra, and the meerkat, and that was enough to terrify me!

When their cow gets and the family is unable to find it, Precious resolves to put her detective skills to work.

"Had they looked for tracks?...

'I'll come home with you now and we can start to look for tracks...

My mother will be very pleased if we find her � she'll make us all a reward of fat cakes.'

Precious loved fat cakes, which are a delicious type of fried doughnut that are very popular in Botswana."

Needless to say, they get their fatcakes, which are sprinkled with sugar and sound delicious!

Adjoa Andoh's narration is as delightful as ever - the perfect voice. These stories would be wonderful to play in a classroom with the children reading along.

The author always includes some social messaging about issues such as poverty and inequality, and importantly, he also offers ways that Precious (and others) can help to ease the worries and combat the stigma associated with them.

It's a great series that I'm enjoying on Audible Plus.

My review of Precious and the Monkeys (Precious Ramotswe's Very First Cases # 1)