Review: The Mind Reading Chook (Sleuth Astrid #1)

Sleuth Astrid is a mind-reading English Sussex chook who discovered her gift after an accident in the lab. She is able to find lost things, and when she doesn’t know something, she asks the chooks. In great demand because of her hi-tech abilities, mystery solving skills and large network of contacts, Astrid is a lateral thinker who loves a challenge.

Employed part-time in Merlin’s magic act (one of her many jobs) Astrid is multi-skilled and dependable. When Merlin loses his sense of humour, she is called in to find it before the afternoon performance. There is a trail of clues for the reader to discover and lots of laughs to be had from the quirky antics, language and clever word play utilised through the story.

Sleuth Astrid: The Mind Reading Chook, previously published in print through Macmillan Education, is the first of a series and is now available on Hazel Edwards’ Online Store as an EPUB file. It’s an ingenious creation that reflects Hazel’s imagination, sense of humour and command of language, and is flavoured perfectly by Jane Connory’s illustrations.

Title: The Mind Reading Chook (Sleuth Astrid #1)
Author: Hazel Edwards
Illustrator: Jane Connory
Publisher:  Hazel Edwards, $2.95 RRP
Publication Date: March 2013
Format: eBook
ISBN: 97809871508
For ages: 7-10
Type: Junior fiction