Set in Durban, South Africa, Leon Chameleon P.I. and the case of the missing canary eggs brings together a wonderful cast of animal characters as the mystery of an egg caper unfolds. With a good dose of humor along the way, the realities of life in the wild are not diluted — moles really don’t see very well, birds prance and strut, and sometimes rats get hungry — and these fantastic creatures stay true to character.

The author does a marvelous job of cleverly inserting facts about the animals we meet in Pigeon Valley throughout this middle grade detective story. The lovely illustrations throughout the story give the animals their own personalities — Constable Mole wears sunglasses and Spotted Eagle Owl, the judge, puts her big eyes to use — that will help young readers remember the unique features of this wonderful South African cast.

Selected as a Jay Heale’s BOOKCHAT AWARD winner in the 1993 South African Books of the Year, Leon Chameleon P.I. and the case of the missing canary eggs has recently been released as an ebook. For more information, visit Just4Kix Books, the author’s fun and fact-filled website, to check out all of Jan Hurst-Nicholson’s books, see drawings and details about the cast of characters in Leon Chameleon P.I. books and read a sample.

A sincere thank you to the author for providing a digital copy of the book and introducing me to her wonderful stories. I’ve just added another of her books, Bheki and the Magic Light, right on the top of my ever-expanding TBR pile!

Leon Chameleon P.I. and the case of the missing canary eggs
Written by Janet Hurst-Nicholson
Illustrated by Barbara McGuire
ISBN: 978-1515294450
Available at Amazon

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