The Case of the Phantom Cat: The Mysteries of Maisie Hutchins, Book 3 by Holly Webb, 176 pages

Maisie Hutchins is something of an amateur sleuth.  And like most amateur detectives the mysteries just seem to find her.  This time she accompanies her friend Alice on a trip to the country to get away from the London fog that is making Alice ill.  When they arrive at the country home they are informed that the house is haunted and was built on a plague pit.  Of course, all kinds of spooky things happen shortly after their arrival, but Maisie is not buying it.  She's determined to find out the real reason everyone is seeing a phantom white cat and why the library smells so horrid!

Maisie is plucky and courageous.  This was a fun bedtime read with my 7 year old.  The chapters were a nice length so that reading one a night was enough for us.  We did have to power through and read the last 40 pages or so one night just to find out the end.  This is the first Maisie Hutchins book we have read, even though it's book 3.  My daughter is anxious to read the first two though.  I think I'll be introducing her to Nancy Drew in a few years.

Ollie's Odyssey by William Joyce, 294 Pages

Ollie's Odyssey is the story of 6 year old Billy & his favorite toy Ollie and their huge "a-venture."  Ollie is Billy's constant companion.  They've been together since the day Billy was born and his mom made Ollie for him.  They do everything together, go everywhere together, they are totally inseparable.  Until the day, the Creeps take Ollie to Zozo's lair and Billy sets out to find him! 

This was an incredible first chapter book to read aloud with my 6 year old daughter.  She too has a favorite toy and we made many comparisons between Ollie & Henry.  We both loved the story very much and some nights it was hard to stop at just 1 or 2 chapters.

Prior to this, I had never read any other William Joyce books, but he has quickly become a favorite in our house and we'll be reading more as soon as we get our hands on them!