The Merry Christmas Murders: a thrilling new murder-mystery series: Volume 1

Brooke is starting a new school, doubly difficult because it is the end of a term and she is neurodiverse. But just as she joinns, the head teacher is murdered and Brooke, along with her new friends from the Neurokind Club at the school, decide to crack the case.

As Brooke and her mother turn out to be the last people to see the Head alive, she suddenly finds herself in the spotlight, which is not something she enjoys. Can she get over her new school anxiety to help her new friends?

I'm not normally a fan of Christmas books, but this just happens to be a murder mystery that is set at Christmas time. For a book about murder, The Merry Christmas Murders manages to be a jolly read, with the reader able to crack clues along the way and track down the murderer. I should add that I completely failed at this and did not work it out!

The children from the Club are all neurodiverse and all different, as real children are. I thought that aspect was very interesting, and I could see how children who are themselves neurodiverse would really warm to this cast of characters. With the obligatory Christmas red cover with illustrations by Flavia Sorrentino, it is indeed a merry book, so long as you don't take a serial killer too seriously.

240 pages / Reviewed by Jacqueline Harris, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 9+

Brooke is not keen to start her new school. Even with Buoy, her emotional support dog, the experience threatens to be overwhelming. However, having met members of the Neurokind Club, she is willing to try, only to be faced with a murder on her first day. As the body count mounts, Brooke and her new friends turn detective and use their unique set of skills to track down the culprit.

As the festive season approaches, The Merry Christmas Murders is sure to be a welcome addition to many stockings! Not only does the story present a very satisfying mystery to solve, but there are puzzles hidden throughout the book for readers to solve - or not! - along the way.

The Neurokind Club is a special group for neurodivergent pupils, set up Miss Asha, the school’s SENCO, who is an autistic ADHD-er. Four children - Robyn, Kellan, Nisha and Mikey - with a range of needs attend the club, enabling readers to understand and empathise with the different ways in which the world can be a challenging, and sometime incomprehensible, place for neurodivergent children (and adults), and offering an insight into some the strategies they might use / need to help them cope.

As the story progresses, the Neurokind Club become a real team, each bringing different skills to help solve the murder. As with any friendships, they experience ups and downs, but ultimately, as Brooke says, 'We're like fairy lights, you see. Every one of the bulbs needs to be working for the lights to shine'. This lovely image perfectly illustrates how true teams work - one of the many reasons this book would work so well as a class story!

There is plenty to discuss and much to enjoy and children and teachers will enjoy trying to identify the murderer before Brooke and her team! Throughout the story, there are pages where readers are encouraged to pause and list their suspects, reflecting on the clues and then narrowing it down to their top three suspects. There are plenty of twists, red herrings and clues peppered throughout, offering a challenging and satisfying mystery. I suspect - and hope - we will be hearing more from Brooke and her friends as they solve more cases in the future!

240 pages / Reviewed by Sue Wilsher, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 9+