Case of the Phantom Cat (The Mysteries of Maisie Hitchins, 3)

Wonderful book

I love this book! It is such a pity that there is not many of these series. Holly Web thanks for writing this amazing se- ries (I am also reading the hounds of penhalow) ;) ,')

I really like this book for my children. Unfortunately my boy is the right age to read it and it didn't resonate with him. I'm not saying it's a girl's only book, but he isn't into a book that's about a girl and her friend. I think my girls will love it, but my five year old is too young to read it. I think our girls will really enjoy this when they're 7 or 8. It's well written. The characters are interesting and they solve interesting mysteries that aren't too spooky. Many books for this age have kids having very adult adventures--not sexy but action way beyond their age. This seems more real because it feels age appropriate without being really politically correct preachy. I really like the writing style and will be trying more of the series! There are some some good vocabulary terms which the young reader may not know, so they may ask questions or need help looking up a word here and there. It has a "British" feel to it and maybe feels slightly "stuffy". But the book is a lot of fun too! There are a lot of black-and-white cartoon drawings which fit the mood of everything perfectly! In the end, I think it's great! I think my girls will like this a lot!

Young Maisie is a practical girl. Perhaps it comes of being the granddaughter of a boarding house owner who has to help with running the place. In any case, Maisie is quick to realize things are not always as they seem, which makes her a great little detective. Unfortunately, Maisie doesn’t have a lot of friends. Sure, she chats with the residents of the boarding house and there’s always George the butcher’s boy. But her only real friend is one she only gets to see when she comes for French lessons at the boarding house with Madame Lorimer. Alice’s station in life is quite a bit above that of poor lowly Maisie, so it would be impossible for the two to socialize more regularly. Under normal circumstances, that is. But poor Alice has been sick lately, so Maisie goes to call on her, as a messenger from Madame Lorimer, of course. Alice’s household servants conspire to get Maisie and her dog Eddie an audience with the little lass, but unfortunately her father comes home a bit sooner than expected and catches the two of them together. But seeming to have a bit more sense than his peers of his day, Alice’s father is not only not upset, he’s rather pleased to see Alice looking happy for a change. So when he tells Alice that he has arranged for her to spend time in the country at Wisteria Lodge, he graciously allows Maisie, and even Eddie, to go with her. Oh dear, I’m afraid Mrs. Sidebotham the governess will be none to happy about this. It turns out that Wisteria Lodge isn’t quite as idyllic as it sounds. In fact, the boy at the train station tells the girls that it’s haunted. Indeed, there are some frightful things about the place – shrieks and other odd noises. A terrible smell in the library. A phantom cat. Maybe the place really was built over an old graveyard. The servants quit en masse (having already been paid) while Mrs. Sidebotham retires with the vapors. But practical Maisie isn’t going to give up so easily. There has to be rational explanations and she’s going to put her detective skills to use finding them. The Maisie books are enjoyable for adults and kids alike. Maisie is a plucky girl and kids (probably girls especially) will enjoy solving the mystery along with her. The book offers suspense without being to scary for young children and there is nothing a parent could object to about the book. I do think that some kids might have trouble relating to the setting of the book, especially the social roles related to the time period. Modern American kids might not be familiar with the idea of having a fixed “station” in life based on your birth and might find it a bit off-putting. But that aspect is not entirely essential to the story and shouldn’t interfere with enjoyment of the story. Recommended for the target audience.

This was a wonderfully written young mystery. I'm not sure where I read that it was Nancy Drew meets Downton Abby but that is right on the mark. I loved the Victorian social details as much as the young mystery part. The writing is clean and it is an easy read. It held the attention of me in my mid forties as well as an eight year old girl. The boys were a little turned off by the female lead, but think they would have liked it too. A wonderful book, glad we read it together. Oh one more thing, it is well illustrated with cute little pictures. My step daughter is well into chapter books, but I think they broke up the text enough to use as a transition book.

If Nancy Drew were a British 12 year old living in London, and a cartoon, she would be the totally awesome Maisie Hitchins. If Agatha Christie's Miss Marple had a childhood, she would be Maisie Hitchins. The 10 year old ripped through the book and then I got to read it to the younger ones in the home. Now I need to track down the first two books in the series. We all Loved the illustrations.

When Alice has to spend some time in the country to get well after an illness, budding detective Maisie Hitchins goes with her to keep her company. The old house they stay at is full of strange sights and smells and noises and it has a reputation of being haunted but is it really? Only Maisie Hitchins can detect the truth. While I usually really enjoy Holly Webb’s stories, the mystery in this book seemed very thin to me and that was a little disappointing. It’s still interesting to read of Maisie’s adventures though.

Maisie is Flavia DeLuce for children. Mystery and things to solve but without the scary stuff. Young readers (3rd to 5th grade,) will love this. I love that it's a clean, fun novel for children.

My daughter (8yrs) loves all the books in this series. Maisie and her supporting cast are all charming well-written characters. The cases she tackles are exciting and my daughter loves trying to piece together the clues as Maisie uncovers them. Highly recommended

A wonderful series for any child that loves a mystery and a little bit of history. My daughter has read it and others in the series in parts at bedtime and has loved them all.

my daughter (9 years old) loves the book. Fast delivery too.

Great read for kids

Good