#687 – The Case of the Missing Carrot Cake by Robin Newman & Deborah Zemke

By SMorris/KidLitReviews

Quick note: Not surprisingly, the motherboard died one last time, just days after arriving home from its last death. I am at the library and running out of time. Please excuse the unfinished post. I will get all images and links up as soon as I can. I hope you enjoy the review, such as it is. ~Sue
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The Case of the Missing Carrot Cake

Series:  A Wilcox and Griswold Mystery
Written by Robin Newman
Illustrated by Deborah Zemke
Creston Books          2015
978-1-939547-17-0
40 pages            Age 7—9
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“When food goes missing on Ed’s farm, Detectives Wilcox and Griswold do what it takes to track down the thieves. In this case, Miss Rabbit’s carrot cake has disappeared. Has it been stolen? Or eaten? Or both? Who dunnit?” [publisher]

Review
Oh, my, a carrot cake has gone missing and Miss Rabbit, besides being crumbed by cake from head to toe (she did bake the now missing carrot cake), is hopping mad. Good thing the MFI’s are on the case, with Captain Griswold and Detective Wilcox as lead investigators. These two small Missing Food Investigator mice may have experience, but the layered Case of the Missing Carrot Cake just might be unsolvable.

I know detectives do not want to be viewed as cute, but cute is an apt word. From their gruff-looking MFI badge pictures, to their droll 1950’s cop-speech—think Friday of Dragnet—Griswold and Wilcox are all business, but adorable. The two made me laugh each time they spoke. Kids may not know who Sargent Friday was, but if a parent were to channel Sargent Friday while reading Detective Wilcox’s story, their children will at least get part of the joke.

“It was 10:00 Monday morning. The captain and I were working the day shift when we got our first call . . . Every day food goes missing from the farm. Sometimes it’s lost. Sometimes it’s stolen. Sometimes it just runs away.”

The first four chapters introduce the usual suspects: Fowler, the Owl (Alibi. He was picking up his dinner in the field); Porcini, the Pig (a convicted corn robber, he was with Miss Rabbit—she refused a refreshing hot cup of slop); Hot Dog, a dog (evidence is found! Hot Dog is, according to Wilcox, “in as pickle”); and . . . uh, oh. Where did suspect number four hide? I know there is a fourth, but, unlike Detective Wilcox, I am no missing food investigator.

The Case of the Missing Carrot Cake will delight readers. Kids will love the goofy characters, the illustrations, and the oft-used humor. Adults will also laugh, and sometimes groan, but always appreciate the humor and Wilcox’s Dragnet performance.

“Just give us the facts and nothing but the facts . . . “

The illustrations enhance the story on every page. The short chapters, just right for readers learning to read on their own, and illustrations that make each page come alive, kids will begin viewing reading as entertainment, rather than something one only does in school. Each of the seven characters is well-developed with distinctive personalities. I love Hot Dog, who towers over the detectives, yet gives them all due respect. Twists do occur, so do not get cozy with your solution to this case.

Will the MFI solve The Case of the Missing Carrot Cake? Will the residents of Ed’s Farm ever be safe from bakery thieves? To find out, check out Newman’s debut chapter book. I hope there are more cases to solve. The MFI detectives can delight readers again and again . . . they just need missing food to find.

THE CASE OF THE MISSING CARROT CAKE. Text copyright © 2015 by Robin Newman. Illustrations copyright © 2015 by Deborah Zemke. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Creston Books,  Berkeley, CA

Purchase The Case of the Missing Carrot Cake at Amazon—Book Depository—Creston Books.

Detective Wilcox’s Interview — worth reading.   bit.ly/DetectiveWilcoxMFI

Learn more about The Case of the Missing Carrot Cake HERE.   This Kid’s View:  HERE!
Meet the author, Robin Newman, at her website:  https://robinnewmanbooks.wordpress.com/
Meet the illustrator, Deborah Zemke, at her website:  http://www.deborahzemke.com/
Find more chapter books at publisher, Creston Books, website: http://www.crestonbooks.com

Review Section: word count = 473

Copyright © 2015 by Sue Morris/Kid Lit Reviews. All Rights Reserved
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21 thoughts on “#687 – The Case of the Missing Carrot Cake by Robin Newman & Deborah Zemke”

  1. Wow, missing THIS review, I KNOW how much I’ve been missing over the months and it was more than Carrot Cake! I love Robin’s book and really enjoy seeing it all over the place! 🙂 By the way, I am “pro-rat” in the case of Wilcox & Griswold 😉

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  2. Pingback: List of May KidLit Reviews | Loving KidLit

    • Yeah, I don’t know who let that Wilcox character out of the book and onto these pages, but he sure is entertaining. What a hoot (no pun intended-there’s an owl in the story) he can be when not trying to solve a case. I hear he is busy with a new case, somewhere on Ed’s farm. I think I might try to get him to do interview. I would like to know how these characters get out of their respective books. How does Lobo get away? Nevermind, he has only been in eBooks, not a big jump to a blog. (no biting please, that was simply an observation). 🙂

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  7. Wilcox, here! Ma’am, I thought you might enjoy a slice of Hot Dog’s carrot cake. It’s extra crunchy. Just the way he likes it. The MFIs and the gang on Ed’s farm wanted to say thanks for your review and community support. It’s very much appreciated. By the way, Porcini is pretty good at tinkering. He picked up a few skills in the pen. I’m sure he’d be able to fix that motherboard in a jiffy. 🙂

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    • Thank you, detective. My goodness, this cake is so moist and . . . dry? Oh, I see, a biscuit. Or is this a bone, a dog bone?! Much different, to be sure. The critters on Ed’s Farm (who is Ed, I never met Edward/Edwina), the critters are adorable. Miss
      Rabbit is a bit absent-minded, but then she was just robbed. I sure hope you will be back, Wilcox. I want another story, about another case. Can you do that or was this a goodbye? No goodbyes, understand? You reminded me of someone from my childhood. Not sure who, but your voice is so distinctive. I need another case to figure it all out. Now, ya’ll come back now, ya’ hear.

      Liked by 1 person

        • Poached eggs crack up or get scrambled? What fun you can have with this, cannot wait . . . well, I can, but really want to read about this second important case. I’ll try to keep my sunny-side up while I wait. But one more motherboard death and you can call me hard boiling mad. 🙂

          Liked by 1 person

      • “Sir, It’s extremely offensive to rats and mice everywhere that you referred to Lucy as a pet.” Signed Detective Wilcox. But the idea of a blog account is a really good idea.

        Liked by 1 person

        • Please read the blog policy page. KLR does not approve discriminating comments, even if they are about a dirty rat; those sewer dwelling, disease carrying, illiterate creatures. I am shocked that a rat is here. Where did it learn to read or is it pulling its tail? I had to think twice before approving that first comment–thinking it was a joke–but rats are no joke, and they are not cute mice, either. Still, please only say nice things about rats, no matter how much it’s a dirty rat.

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