Mince Spies

A fantastic, festive story! This story remind me of Supertato by Sue Hendra since it is also set in a supermarket with plenty of pesky treats behaving badly! Of course, all of the treats are festive themed and the 'mince spies' are sent it to sort them out. The book is filled with fantastic illustrations to really bring the story to life and there are plenty of rhyming words to keep the story going at a great rhythm. My class (Y2) thought it was hilarious and enjoyed the festive tale! They love spotting the rhyming words too. I would recommend it to young families or other school children of a similar age. Wonderfully humorous with some festive cheer! Picture Book / Ages 5+ / Reviewed by Lucy Newton, Teacher

Suggested Reading Age 3+

Mince Spies is a lighthearted and enjoyable Christmas read for young children. The rhyming narrative flows throughout the text and the accompanying illustrations by Sophie Corrigan really help create a delightful and fun story. I can envision sharing this story on a wintry afternoon, fully equipped with mugs of hot chocolate and plates of mince pies to enjoy. Santa is worried. Something, or someone, is destroying all the Christmas treats in the supermarkets - so he sends in his Mince Spies on a secret mission to uncover the culprits... Whilst reading the story, links to the 'Supertato' picture book series started to emerge - something I am sure younger readers would also notice. This would create wonderful discussions and allow children to develop crucial reading skills - especially if shared within a classroom environment. The narrative is broken up with the clever use of font - with key vocabulary manipulated to stand out and be given more importance. This really helps when reading the text aloud as it allows for opportunities to hook the listener in. Some of the descriptive language is also of high quality and works as a way to expand children's own breadth of word choices. I particularly enjoyed the alliteration of 'super-speedy second' and 'as shadows spin across the wall'. Both of these would allow for discussions to be made about the authors' word choices. Another highlight of the text is the way that the whole story relies on the supermarket setting. Not only are the characters foods, but the props and areas they move through are all part of the supermarket too. I am sure that children could quite easily imagine the Mince Spies creating havoc in their own local supermarket with their puff-pastry jetpacks and shortcrust walkie-talkies. This is an easy and enjoyable read in the build up to the holiday season and there is also scope for it too be used within EYFS as a focus book to lead learning. Picture book / Ages 3-6 years / Reviewed by Kyle Matravers, teacher.

Suggested Reading Age 3+