The Lizzie and Belle Mysteries: Drama and Danger: New for 2022, a mystery-filled detective story for children, perfect for fans of Robin Stevens!

My daughter both loved this book. A definite page turner. My 9 year old was hooked.

I absolutely flew through this brilliant new detective series, reading both the physical book and listening to the audiobook.Set in 1700s London, Lizzie and Belle meet unexpectedly but find they both have inquisitive minds and love solving mysteries so when Lizzie's Dad (the first black man to take to the stage in Othello) narrowly survives an attempt on his life, the girls are determined to investigate, despite all of the ways society and other people try to stop them.A key part of the story was the girls finding out about slavery and this was woven well into the story - a child who didn't know much about it would learn lots, while someone who had some understanding of this part of history would see a different side of it.It was great to read a historical novel for children where the main characters aren't white and middle class and the mystery/detective aspect made it really pacey and engaging.The audio recording was really well done with an excellent narrator.Thank you to the publishers Harper Collins UK Audio for the audio copy of the book via Netgalley. I bought the physical copy of the book myself as it was shortlisted for the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize.

I was intrigued by the premise of this story enough to want to read it but I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would. As an adult I like to read middle grade novels now and again for a nice easy read without the gory details and the romance!Set in London in 1777. Two young black girls, Lizzie and Belle, who are from very different backgrounds, meet in a theatre and become friends instantly. They get together to solve the mystery of the man in the cloak who they think tried to murder Lizzie’s father by dropping a chandelier on him whilst he was on stage at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane.The plot thickens as young people start to disappear. Are they involved and have they disappeared to avoid being found out?It is not intended to be historically accurate, although some of the characters are based on people who lived at that time.The book focuses quite strongly on the slave trade, which is a touchy subject but the author has managed to write it so a child can get a basic understanding of what life may have been like for some black people at that time.What I did like was the way the author incorporated snippets of other media such as copies of letters, newspaper articles to make it more interesting and there are a few very basic drawings similar to the cover design throughout the book. The cover with the rose gold foiling is also very attractive.I read to the end and I liked the ending which leads straight on to the next mystery to be solved!

I am giving this book four stars simply because it is intended for a younger reader but I cannot see how some of the descriptive parts in this book are going to be popular with that age group.It is a lovely book, full of adventure and action, but in places it is packed with detail. It is so elaborate in discussing how the child sees her mum, for instance, that I am absolutely certain that I would have to read it four times at the age of 12 to be able to remember at least something of what I read on that page.It is a book of beautiful lace of words that will be greatly enjoyed by grown-ups. I cannot think of any child I've known who would be after Proust'ian delights at this age.For an adult - it is a very pleasant (slightly childish) read that will bathe you in an intricate language and will tell you of a few adventures had by the young girls. For children, it will be a pleasant read for a bookish child who wants a bit of a challenge with the language as this book weaves it.Were it written for grown-ups, in a more grown-up fashion, it would have been a fiver.

My 7 yo read this in no time at all and liked the fact that it was set in the past so had a historical element to it as well as still being fiction. Set in 18th Century London it follows the mysteries of Lizzie and Belle and being of African origin there is some black history around the slave trade to add some further context. It is quite a long and intricate read at 350+ pages but the chapters are short enough to digest in small sections. She read it twice which is always a good sign and then wrote the following review as she will be doing for books as she enters year 3:Rating: 4 out of 5Lizzie and Belle mysteries: I like this book because it’s about two girls called Lizzie and Belle in the eighteenth century who try to save Lizzie’s fathers life after a chandelier drops from the theatre’s ceiling but luckily he moves out of the way in time by the end of the book her father is safe.I would say the age range for this book would probably be in the 9-12 range so she'll be able to come back to it again and re-read and reflect on it.