Sally Murphy (text), Celeste Hulme (illus.), Sage Cookson’s Fishy Surprise (Sage Cookson #3), New Frontier Publishing, Jan 2017, 60pp., $9.99 (pbk) ISBN 9781925059755
Holidays, mystery, food and friendship are the key ingredients in this fun chapter book for seven to ten year old readers. Even though Sage is the daughter of the famous Cooksons from “The Cooksons Cook On” television sensation she is the sort of modern ten year old that most girls her age can relate to: she loves shopping, swimming, travelling and spending time with her best friend. In this novel, Fishy Surprise, Sage invites her friend, Lucy, on holiday to Crystal Bay in Brisbane where her parents are filming their next show. No sooner do they arrive at the resort than it becomes clear that someone is trying to sabotage the filming by placing rotten fish at key locations. Sage and Lucy find themselves in the middle of this mystery they need to solve.
Structured in twelve short chapters, this appealing sixty page novel is suitable for middle primary readers. Written in present tense in the first person, there is an immediacy in the storytelling which brings the characters convincingly to life. The colourful covers and black and white sketches by Celeste Hulme at the beginning of each chapter add to the attractiveness of this easy-to-read adventure story.
Although the third book in the series, this story is complete in itself but with characters from previous books making an appearance to add to the continuity. A bonus recipe for Beer Battered Fish and Chips concludes the text, and readers will find themselves looking forward to Sage’s next interesting adventure.
Reviewed by Grace Nolan
