Piccadilly ISBN 781848128613 £6.99
Colin Kingsley is just an ordinary boy, living above his parents’ pizza parlour and delivering pizzas after school. He has ambitions to be a private detective, something that brings him to the notice of the Golden Spatula league; they are a secret network of young people who work in food establishments as a cover for their crime fighting work. Colin, aka Mark Anchovy, is tasked to try and hunt out a notorious art thief, whilst on a school trip to Rome. Together with his mentor Princess Skewer and the leader of the league Master Key he comes up against a range of villains, including a turncoat in the league itself.
This is a tremendously laugh out loud book full of puns about pizza, anchovies and any other toppings that you can think of. There is fast paced action, adventure and even a bit of history as Colin visits famous sites with the rest of his class. The book is aimed at lower KS2, or even some at the top of KS1, particularly those who want to laugh their way through a book. It is definitely something that would add to studying about Rome or Italy, but above all it is just a fantastically great read.
Margaret Pemberton
