Amelia Cheeseheart Investigates: Mummy Mayhem

Amelia Cheeseheart is a brave mouse who lives in a hot air balloon in the gift shop of a museum. With her pet spider – Webster (who is very keen on bananas, for reasons unknown) – she loves exploring in her airplane like her famous namesake. With all sorts of exhibits, from Romans to dinosaurs, there is much to investigate. When all sorts of precious items start disappearing from the museum, Amelia and Webster have a crime to solve!

The pair cheerfully soar from exhibit to exhibit and, wherever they land, they find an historical band of very angry mice, eager to deliver revenge upon whoever has stolen their beloved relic. This is bad news for Amelia and the museum, as it seems certain to lead to war between the Vikings, and the Romans, and the cave-mice! The race is on to discover the true culprit before battle begins.
Amelia and Webster’s investigation takes them to some very unexpected places, several of which are dangerous and require daring escapes in some of the book’s most exciting scenes. The pair learn that things are often more complicated than they seem and that the line between good and evil is not always straightforward. There are important lessons to learn about friendship and open-mindedness, which Amelia faces with an endearing, charming naivety.

Mummy Mayhem is not necessarily an effective way to introduce children to the subject of history: there are too many tired stereotypes and anachronisms. However, like Amelia Earhart, it has an adventurous spirit. Amelia and Webster zoom about the museum and the book’s action-packed illustrations add much to the excitement.

This is Mini Guppy’s first publication, and their aim is to bridge the gap from picture books to more mature fiction. Mummy Mayhem sometimes feels a little juvenile for those young readers aiming to push themselves, but the manageable language and playful tone certainly feel like a positive next step forward from picture books.