The Beanstalk Murder: A giant-sized murder mystery

By Author / Illustrator

P.G. Bell

Genre

Mystery & Detective

Age range(s)

Publisher

Usborne

ISBN

9781805312536

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

01-08-2024

Synopsis

"A unique whodunnit with more twists than an old beanstalk. Truly genius! I LOVED it." Sibeal Pounder, author of Wonka

The BFG meets Murder Most Unladylike in this giant-sized whodunnit with a witchy twist, from the author of the bestselling The Train to Impossible Places.

Trainee meadow witch Anwen is having a bad day - which gets much worse when a dead giant falls from the sky and destroys her village. But when she examines the body she discovers something interesting. This giant was murdered, which means a killer is on the loose!

Tasked with sending a message to the giant kingdom via beanstalk, Anwen and her nemesis, trainee sorceress Cerys, accidentally find themselves whipped up into the sky and deposited in the giants' royal palace - where the king is missing. Using their perfect spy-size and witchy skills, the girls must track down his killer. But how can you investigate a murder mystery when you risk being stepped on by your suspects?

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Reviews

The Beanstalk Murder is a gripping new murder mystery in giant-sized portions! P.G Bell's new book is a magical read that will appeal to the most reluctant reader.

When the town of Old Stump is squished by a falling giant from the Sky Kingdom, the folk of the Land Below are riddled with concern. For many years, the two kingdoms have lived separately due to The Great Beanstalk War and the only access to the Sky Kingdom, where the giants live, is by using the 'thin places'. So when a giant drops through a thin place and flattens the town, Anwen and her grandmother - a meadow witch - have no alternative than to examine the body.

They quickly discover that the giant has been murdered and pushed into the Land Below, so they decide to risk the peace treaty and plant an ancient magical bean to deliver a message to the giants about the corpse. However Anwen, an apprentice meadow witch, and her arch enemy Cerys, a trainee sorceress, are swept up with the beanstalk to the land of the giants and into the mystery of who killed the giant.

P.G Bell is a master of creative writing and truly brings this murder-mystery fairytale story to life. The characters are determined, stubborn and fearless all at the same time. The story unfolds with a magical touch that children will find captivating.

In the classroom, this book would make an excellent resource for literacy units based around traditional tales or fantasy narratives. I really enjoyed how I could resonate with the idea of giants and witches and magical objects, but with a really different perspective. Children will love how this story unfolds.

320 pages / Reviewed by Hayley Summerfield, teacher