Maddison is excited about the coming A&P (agricultural & pastoral) Show coming to Wanaka. She knows there is much more to look at than cows and sheep, and she herself is going to be part of it. Maddison’s Grandma is an award winning baker and Maddie is entering this year too.

Her eyes are on the under 12’s prize for the best cupcake. Grandma’s is on the adult’s prize for cupcakes after winning other sections of the baking prizes for years. They have been working together on their flavours and final masterpieces when they suddenly realise that Grandma’s latest batch have vanished!

They can’t believe it. They were cooling by the door one minute and gone the next. Grandma is upset, which in turn upsets Maddie – who could do such a thing?

All possible culprits are quickly assessed. Maddie’s dog Ruby didn’t take them, and besides, she’s too well trained to do that. The neighbour’s dog is fully fenced as he is usually a Houdini at escaping his yard. Who else would have taken them?

The investigation begins. Maddie uses the skills she learns from her uncle who is a police officer to find and narrow down the suspects. He also taught her dog-training skills which have helped her train her dog Ruby. Getting together with her friends, they work together on both the mystery and dog-training their dogs to be as well behaved as Ruby.

Both the investigation and training has mixed results, but the mystery opens more problems too. Why is Maddie’s best friend acting so strangely?

Set in Wanaka (NZ), this mystery novel for 7+ is a fun, refreshing read with kiwi kids solving a cupcake crime. Bike riding, dog training, and sneaking out at night brings tension and excitement, and more trouble than they imagined, but the characters believe it is all worth it to solve the mystery of missing cupcakes and changes in their friendship dynamics.

With lots of tips on training dogs sprinkled throughout, the cute depictions of a border collie at the beginning of each chapter and a dyslexia friendly, clear font, this fast-paced mystery is the first in a series featuring Maddie and her friends solving more local mysteries.

Looking forward to the next in the series.

Author – Kate Gordon-Smith

Age – 7+

(2024, Relish Books, NZ, New Zealand Author, Aotearoa, Wanaka, A&P Show, Cupcakes, Baking, Border Collies, Dog, Dog Training, Mystery, Family, Grandma, Friendship Dynamics, Sneaking out, Police, Series)