Detective Dylan and the Thief of Camp Leaf (A Youth Sleuths Chapter Book Series Book #3) by MJ Murray – Review by Angela Hayes

Detective Dylan and the Thief of Camp Leaf by M.J. Murray
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.5 Stars

“Dylan snagged a marshmallow for himself and stuck it on the stick. They had been at Camp Leaf with their family for three days. Roasting marshmallows—even if it was lunchtime instead of nighttime—was the most fun he’d had.
The trip had been filled with rain.
And bugs.
They hadn’t swum in the lake yet, and the camp games hadn’t started.
Worst of all? There was no Wi-Fi.
There hadn’t even been a mystery for Dylan to solve. Dylan had brought his detective kit. Just in case. He’d gotten it earlier in the summer. It was from his favorite show, The Youth Sleuths.
Dylan pinned his Youth Sleuths detective badge to his shirt every morning. Just like a real detective.
He carried his detective kit on an old tool belt around his waist on every hike. Just like a real detective.
Emily had even been allowed to be his helper.
So far, they’d only been able to ask questions like “When will the rain end?” and “What kind of bug was that?”

Detective Dylan and the Thief of Camp Leaf is the third book in A Youth Sleuths Chapter Book Series by M.J. Murray. This is a children’s chapter book story with a mystery to solve, crime and investigation elements, a whodunit feel, lessons/learning, family, friendship, and a few B & W illustrations sprinkled through the story to help keep young ones engaged. This fun tale also provides some valuable lessons along the way- such as: problem solving, reading and comprehension, expanding vocabulary, promoting fluency, math, and more.
Detective Dylan, his little sister Emily, and trusty companion Theodore (their dog) are with their family, camping at Camp Leaf. We all know how much Dylan loves a good mystery to investigate- but there hasn’t been one for a while now, and Dylan is bored. It hasn’t helped that it has been raining pretty much non-stop since they arrived at camp, and the bugs- don’t mention the bugs. But ever prepared, Dylan has his trusty detective kit with him, in the hope that some exciting mystery might pop that needs solving. And that’s just what happens. Dylan, Emily, and Theodore are on the case, searching for clues, determined to hunt down the missing trophy, and uncover who stole it…
This is aimed at children 5 – 9 who are perhaps just starting to read ‘chapter books’ on their own, or with help- so the story contains a few ‘harder’ words to challenge them along the way (Reading Tier 2).
Happy Reading…

Thank you, M.J. Murray!

Reviewed by @angelahayes

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