Max the Detective Cat: The Disappearing Diva

Sarah Todd Taylor's Max the Detective Cat: The Disappearing Diva is a mystery for 8 year olds about a very pampered cat who finds his first case at the theatre.

What happens

Maximilian has spent his whole life on a red velvet cushion. He's used to salmon soufflé, eight tail grooms a day and a Countess who calls him her fluffy angel. Then he chases one mouse too many, ends up covered in soil and fat, and finds himself in a basket by the river.

He escapes into London at night, where a one-eyed alley cat called Oscar takes him over the rooftops. From the roof of the Theatre Royal he hears the most beautiful music of his life.

Before long he's the theatre's mouse-catcher. There's Mrs Garland in the costume room, who leaves him sardines. There's Bill the stage manager, who can't believe his eyes when Max learns to tie knots. And there are two chorus girls, Agnes and Sylvia, who dream of being stars.

Then Madame Emerald, a star soprano, arrives with twenty-six hatboxes and a terrified maid. She won't say a word. When she finally does, it comes out as a horrible croak. And Max is sure her beauty spot was on the other side in the newspaper...

Isn't that a lovely clue for a young reader to spot? Max notices the things the humans miss, and your reader gets to notice them right alongside him.

Max himself is a joy. He's vain about his tail (VERY vain), he has a special miaow for every occasion and he's far too much of a gentleman to beg for fish. There's an old-fashioned glamour to it too, with velvet seats, painted scenery and a moon made of gauze and a candle.

The start is a bit sad, though. The Countess wants Max got rid of, and the maid who is meant to drown him can't bring herself to do it. Later he finds the Countess has a new white kitten, and she's even given it his name. When he runs up to her she kicks him out of the way. Soft-hearted animal lovers might need a cuddle at that point. But Max finds better friends and a better home, and that's where the book puts its heart.

What to read next

If this goes down well, try A Recipe for Trouble, also by Sarah Todd Taylor. Alice is a thirteen-year-old baker in Paris who is secretly being trained as a spy, with coded notes and parcels hidden all over the city.