Blog Tour – Tangletree Mysteries by Steve Roberts and Joel Stewart

Join me today on the blog tour for a brilliant new adventure series for early readers, ages 6 – 7, which have been packaged as graphic novels.

My stop on the tour takes the form of a book review.

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Title: Tangletree Mysteries

Written and Illustrated by: Steve Roberts and Joel Stewart

Published by: Wellbeck Publishing

Blurb

Join Peggy the dog and her faithful sidekick, Stew the shrew, as they go on TWO brilliant adventures in Tangletree! This colourfully illustrated comic series is perfect for fans of Narwhal and Jelly.

Peggy the dog has a secret… every day, during her walk in the park, she scampers into Tangletree Wood and becomes a brilliant detective! No mystery is too tricky to solve for Peggy and her faithful sidekick, Stu. Join them for these two twisty adventures:

Case 1: Slime Time

Something strange is happening in Tangletree. Lots of the townsfolk are sleepwalking, and when they wake up, they’re covered in disgusting sticky slime! What could be causing these weird occurrences? Only Peggy and Stu can find out!

Case 2: Mud Race

It’s competition time and the Tangletree Mud Race Challenge is in full swing. But the course this year is incredibly difficult and dangerous! Could it have something to do with a runaway track-laying machine? It’s another case for Peggy and Stu!

A graphic novel series ideal for readers starting to enjoy stories independently, visual readers and aspiring mystery solvers!

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In book two,Peggy and Stu Play the Wrong Notes, there are two more fun-filled adventures:

Case 1: Trumpet Trouble

It’s the day of the Tangletree Spring Dance and the town band is desperate to play. But the trumpet-player’s trumpet has developed a life of its own and has run off into the forest! Can Peggy and Stu catch it, discover why it’s moving, and save the Spring Dance?

Case 2: Cake Crimes

Tangletree has a visitor: a pop-up bakery with the most delicious cakes. So delicious, the townsfolk can’t stop eating them. And so sweet, they’re giving everyone terrible toothache… Can it be a coincidence that a pop-up dentist has opened up as well?

Review

These bold and vibrant graphic novels where a joy to read and I hope we see a lot more books like this in the future. The short story format of about 30 spreads and told entirely in dialogue speech bubbles, make these books highly accessible to readers just beginning to read independently.

I particularly liked the way Peggy disappears on her walk everyday to visit her office in Tangletree and gets pulled into another adventure with Stu. Then after she has jotted down the mystery they have solved in her casebook at the end the story, she returns to her owner with her ball as if nothing has happened.

There are also a host of other fun and dynamic support characters, such as Flo the cafe owner and my favourite, misunderstood Warrington.

With hilarious plots, these books are ideal for encouraging reluctant readers at Key Stage One and early Key Stage Two. I wish I had something similar when I was at school instead of the formidable Janet and John books. The Tangletree Mysteries definitely make reading fun.

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To follow the rest of the tour take a look at the schedule: