THE SHREW DETECTIVE

A “shrewd” detective gets sucked into a mystery filled with peril (and delicious snacks) at every turn.

Minerva Shrew is clever, but she’s more interested in solving “the Big Mysteries of Life and the Universe” than anything else. Yet when her cousin Tenacity shows up begging her to prevent a murder before it occurs (“the mystery is whether my friends and I will still be alive tomorrow,” says Tenacity), she’s compelled to help, even if that means stepping into the treacherous home of human beings. It seems that the lady of the house has lost a precious pearl necklace, and she blames the woodland creatures that have taken up residence. Worse still, unless Minerva solves the case, exterminators will gas every living creature present. Minerva has wallpapered her home with dictionary pages, and Preus throws out words like insouciantly and au courant while defining them along the way. The author excels at verbal punnery, making reference to “Shrewlock Holmes” and “Nancy Shrew”; Minerva enjoys meals of “cockroach au vin,” “pest-o sauce,” and “mashed potato bug.” Scientific facts are deftly integrated, as when we’re told that Minerva must eat every 15 to 30 minutes (as the impressive informational backmatter attests). Best of all, the mystery is cleverly laid out and peppered with clues, while Wu’s charming art brings Minerva and her ravenous detective mind to life. In the illustrations, humans have paper-white skin.

Wordplay, smart solution, a fantastic mystery, and shrew facts? Meet your new favorite detective!