Hubbub and Blurt: The Great Cake Mystery: Precious Ramotswe's Very First Case by Alexander McCall Smith

Saturday, May 21, 2016

The Great Cake Mystery: Precious Ramotswe's Very First Case by Alexander McCall Smith

FIC SMI

Precious, a little girl living in Botswana, wishes to be a detective someday. One night, her dad retells a story about a lion that enters a village. She listens intently and asks lots of questions, and at the end of the story, he wants to know how she could determine whether or not he was exaggerating. Precious has a hunch that parts of the tale are fabricated and tells him so. Listening, questioning and not jumping to conclusions are all traits of a good detective, characteristics that Precious possesses. She is excited to learn that she has what it takes, but wonders when she will be able to test out her skills.

"Not only is the plot filled with twists and turns, but the characters reveal both the ugly and forgiving sides of human nature. Children will love getting into Precious’ head through her adventures, stories and dreams."

Precious' luck turns when a piece of cake goes missing from her school. Determined to locate it, she sets out to nab the culprit. She asks her friend Tapiwa many questions about where she lost the confection and when she noticed it was gone. Then the very next day, her classmate, Sepo, is missing his jam and bread sandwich. Although Sepo didn’t actually see anyone take it, he instantly suspects that Poloko did the deed because Poloko is fat and probably has sticky fingers. Sepo and Tapiwa spread rumors that Poloko is a thief. Precious doesn’t like the idea that an innocent person can take the blame for stealing and wonders how her classmates can turn on someone when there is no proof.

Upset and seeking to uncover the real culprit, Precious decides to look for evidence. As she hunts for clues during her walk home from school with Poloko, something enlightening happens: they see the wrongdoers! Precious is excited by this discovery, but knows that she must prove who the perpetrator is to her classmates. Now she just needs a clever plan to reveal the truth behind the crime. At night, she has a dream that brings to light a perfect way to trap and expose the crooks. Like many detectives, Precious is able to crack her case using unlikely solutions. You’ll have to keep turning the pages to find out what happens.

The wonderful illustrations, which are in black, white and red, capture the tone of the tale and the magic of Africa. Wonderful pictures of the animals, characters and scenery appear throughout, and the images look like stamp art, which really makes them stand out and grab your attention. And don’t forget to check out the useful information at the end of the book. There is a character guideline, a geography section and discussion questions for the reader to think more deeply about the story.

Alexander McCall Smith writes a unique mystery, a prequel to his series for adults, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. Not only is the plot filled with twists and turns, but the characters reveal both the ugly and forgiving sides of human nature. Children will love getting into Precious’ head through her adventures, stories and dreams. Smith uses fun literary devices --- like a story within a story and a dream to help Precious solve her crime --- and challenges the reader to think about issues like honesty, accusations, helping others, and what makes a good friend.

Reviewed by Kathleen M. Purcell on April 30, 2012/KidsReads

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Reading and Me

When I read, I experience in poet Jane Hirshfield’s words, “a clarification and magnification of being”. Hirshfield is speaking specifically of poetry here, “its word-woven and musical invocation”. The treasure - the ability and freedom to read – and its result – knowledge, insight, wisdom, understanding, empathy, compassion - is lifeblood of human civilizations. The exploration of words (those squiggly shape pictures on the pages) – broken down into those letters in a row then a space then some more letters in a row, each having a sound and a way – knowable! – to become the sentence, the paragraph, the verse, the poem, the story, the novel, the treatise, the manifesto, the sacred statement, the myth – this exploration of words, how to read them and what they mean – this is reading. If you cannot read, the list of loss goes on forever. The works of these authors: Aardema. Alcott. Avi. Babbitt. Bemelmans. Carle. Cooney. Coville. Dahl. Dorros, DePaola. Ehlert. Galdone. Hamilton. Henkes. Keats. Kimmel. Lester. Lobel. Lowry. MacLachlan. McKissack. O’Dell. Peck. Peet. Pinkney. Polacco. Rylant. Seuss. Silverstein. Spinelli. Travers. Ungar. Van Allsburg. Wells. Wilder. Young. Zieffert. Language is a living thing – these stories are mirrors of our lives and doors into other families and cultures.

I worked for many years at the Reference Desk in the Children’s Room of the Public Library. The first key to that room is an adult who will bring a child and choose books to look at and read aloud. The second key to that room is consistent regular persistent introduction to the wealth lined up on each shelf. The third key is the habit of use – a willingness, a commitment, to go weekly, to bring a big rolling box, to read and reread and reread the books at home. Ask the librarian questions, look for answers in the books. The questions may not be “homework related” –- the questions may be “What’s a good book about taking a bath? Try The Tub People by Pam Conrad. “My child thinks she will never be able to figure some things out.” How about Leo the Late Bloomer by Robert Krauss? “We are planting a garden.” How about Allison’s Zinnia by Anita Lobel?

During my year with Minnesota Reading Corps I helped children with reading skills. I held open the door. I held open the passages. I focused on the vowels and helped turn squiggly picture shapes into words made of letters. Mystery to meaning. We walked through these doors. This is blending, this is segmenting. In blending students connect sounds together, in segmenting they separate words into sounds. The reading path begins with awareness of the page content. Reading is decoding. The words are made of sounds! The sentences are made of words! There are syllables and segments! There are rhymes! We can blend, we can combine separate sounds into meaningful words! We can take this words apart and make different words! This is segmenting, this is blending, this is reading! This has meaning. We work to achieve comprehension by constructing meaning from the written text. This word means something you can know. This vocabulary makes meaning. This story is for YOU. You make this story mean something. This is the world that reading opens and enriches. There are fierce thunderstorms here and nannies who arrive by umbrella. There are Enormous Crocodiles, Muffins for Moose, Snowy Days, Giant Peaches and Millions of Cats. There is a Bear Hunt and An Old Lady Who Swallows a Fly. There is a Velveteen Rabbit and a Garden of Verses. There is a place where there are Wild Things. This is the world that is lost to a child who cannot read.

Today in the USA most children learn to read at school. Few bring homemade lunches anymore and most bring complications that arise from our culture’s technological fixations and media fascinations. Nevertheless, schools and teachers are diligently striving to teach these children to read. Some take to it, others do not. Some have help from home, many do not. Some speak languages other than English and cannot read in either language. Some will learn to read. Some will not. Others will require a faithful consistent daily reading tutor. Be that person another student, an Associate Educator, a teacher, a parent, an encourager – we all had helpers. Here at Loring Library we have books. And I am here to open doors and read aloud and answer questions and point the way and listen and learn. Welcome to Loring Library.