The Cayuga Island Kids Series (Cayuga Island Kids)

by Judy Bradbury and Gabriella Vagnoli

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

The Cayuga Island Kids Series is a 3-in-1 volume set of mystery books for kids by Judy Bradbury. Released in this volume 1st Sept 2023, it's 300 pages for all three books and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout. 

This is a well written set of illustrated books aimed at early readers (~7-9 years). They have an emphasis on problem solving, critical thinking, reasoning, and cooperation. The protagonists are 5 youngsters who all have distinct personalities and strengths. The adventures are all age appropriate and well written. 

This would be a superlative choice for public or school library acquisition. There's a companion guide for educators available from the author and the publisher to facilitate discussion and deeper understanding of the stories. 

They are well illustrated throughout by Gabriella Vagnoli. Her simple and whimsical style complements the narrative very well and the pictures are full of small details which invite a closer look. 

It's a positive feature of the books that the 5 friends who are the main characters have different strengths which complement one another as well as that they're from different ethnic and family backgrounds. Representation is so very important and it's nice that readers will find more than one main character to identify with. 

Four and a half stars. Well written, appealingly illustrated, age appropriate, and good storytelling. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.