Piccadilly Press ISBN 978184128613 £6.99
This is the very cheesy story of Mark Anchovy, pizza delivery boy turned detective; nobly assisted by Princess Skewer. [Yes, you’ve guessed it – she works in a kebab shop!] They are part of the Golden Spatula League – an international group of child food detectives, and are hot on the trail of Big Al Fresco, international art thief, who is suspected of stealing the famous painting ‘A Girl with a Squirrel,’ by Leonardo da Quincy. On a school trip to Rome, Mark and his fellow detectives must find out where Big Al has hidden the painting and try to recover it. Needless to say, Mark is hindered throughout by his old history teacher, Mr Hogstein, [many of us will have met teachers just like him!], who is determined to keep Mark on a very tight leash throughout their stay in Rome. But it all turns out well in the end!
If you like cheesy jokes, and not taking things too seriously, you will enjoy this book. It gently takes the mickey out of detective stories, [and school trips!], as well as exhibiting a great line in puns. Good readers at Upper KS2 should easily manage the text, and the black and white illustrations add to the general corniness of the tale. Amusing.
Alf Wilkinson
