Solve Your Own Mystery: The Time Thief: 2 (Solve Your Own Mystery, 2)

It arrived on time thank you

A nice new take on the Fighting Fantasy books of the 80s, where the reader makes decision to help (or hinder) the investigation in the story. In this version, the reader is assisting a yeti detective. The Sponge of Time has been stolen from the local museum. And the list of potential suspects is long and varied! Also a nice twist at the end that keeps the fun flowing.

I’m always on the lookout for books which will appeal to my class – particularly those less confident children – and one title which has been very popular of late is the first in this series, The Monster Maker, which was published last year. There is something very satisfying for children in being in control of how a story develops, particularly one packed with humour like these reads, and for those of my charges for whom longer, unillustrated chapter books are a no-no, these are a really enjoyable way of hooking them into reading.As in the first book, we are again invited to join detective Klaus in his newest case – solving the mystery of the stolen Time Sponge – an artefact which was due to be the main attraction in a new time-travel exhibition in Haventry’s struggling museum. With little to go on and town mayor Franklefink keen to redevelop the site as a shopping mall, Klaus and the reader must work together to look for clues, interview suspects and find the thief to preserve the museum for future generations. Will they succeed, or is the shopping mall destined to become reality for Haventry’s inhabitants?I’m sure I said in my review of Book 1 how much fun this series is. My experience of books such as this previously had been limited to the Fighting Fantasy titles, which were often complicated to follow and really demoralising on occasion when a wrong choice led to an untimely death and having to restart the adventure. Here, the choices are limited to two or three options which are easy to follow, with each choice leading to another section which works – in effect – as a chapter, meaning that not only is this a great read for one person but is even more fun when shared with an adult, either one-to-one or as a whole class read with everyone voting for their preferred choices.Those choices are guaranteed to lead the reader to the grand unveiling of the criminal in one of three alternative endings, meaning that for those children who enjoy the book they can return to it over and over again in countless different ways. Special mention should also be made of the brilliant illustrations provided by Louise Forshaw, which bring the text to life and will also tempt in a great many readers of all abilities.Perfect as a shared read for Year 3 children upwards, I really enjoyed this and am hoping for a return visit to Klaus and the town of Haventry very soon. Enormous thanks go to publisher Little Tiger for my gifted copy of this title which is on sale now.

Having really enjoyed the first Solve Your Own Mystery book, me and the kids were really excited to get our hands on another mystery to solve. As before, The Time Thief is full of interesting characters and an intriguing plot, What really makes this book stand out is how interactive it is - being able to make your own choices about how to investigate the mystery means the kids who read it have rare and valuable autonomy which means they are immersed in the book throughout, The beauty of the book is that you can read it over and over again, changing your options and learning something new each time. I would highly recommend this book, it's perfect as part of a fun bedtime routine or as rainy day entertainment.

My son loves this series so much! Swiped this one right out of my hands and I can see why. It's a genius idea, brilliantly executed, and fantastically funny too.