Wednesday and Woof: Catastrophe

Sherri Winston's Wednesday and Woof: Catastrophe is a cheerful little mystery for 6 year olds about a girl detective, her support dog and a missing cat in a diamond collar.

What happens

Wednesday Walia Nadir runs a detective agency from an old boat in her back garden. Her partner is Woof. He's her support dog too, because Wednesday has juvenile arthritis. He carries her notebook and magnifying glass in the pockets of his vest (very handy).

The case arrives with a shriek. Mrs Winters, the opera-singing lady across the road, has lost her cat, Autumn. Autumn was wearing a red collar set with real diamonds. And Mrs Winters is supposed to be going on holiday!

So it's time for clues. A diamond in the grass. Tiny paw prints in a flower bed. Three older boys on skateboards, carrying something small, white and fluffy...

Wednesday is sure she's cracked it. Her best friend Belinda Bundy, who likes to dress as a bunny, isn't so sure. That's a big part of the fun. Wednesday jumps to conclusions, gets it wrong and has to go back and look at the facts again.

She tells the story herself, and she's brilliant company. She hates the BIG BUT that grown-ups use just before they say no. And she has a nemesis called Anita B., who insists her name is pronounced the French way.

What's really special is how naturally the arthritis is part of the story. Her dad worries. Anita B. says she won't be strong enough to get up the hill. Wednesday's legs ache and she has to sit down, and Woof knows before she says a word.

She's never treated as a sad case, though. She's the detective, full stop. Isn't that exactly how it should be?

If you've got a reader who loves playing detective with a notebook and pencil, this is a lovely one. There are a few activities at the back for detectives in training too.

What to read next

Wednesday and Woof are back on the job in New Pup on the Block, where a drone vanishes from the back garden and a new friend turns up with a support puppy of her own.