The Case of the Pilfered Pearls (The Shrew Detective, book 1) by Margi Preus, illustrated by Junyi Wu (Harry N. Abrams, 128 pages, grades 2-5). Shrew detective Minerva loves her woodland home and can’t understand why any self-respecting animal would live indoors. But when her cousin Tenacity tells her there’s about to be a murder, Minerva feels obligated to follow Tenacity to the house where she lives to investigate. The new owners of the formerly abandoned house are (correctly) certain that their home is overrun with animals and are about to wage an all-out extermination campaign. At the center of the brouhaha is a pilfered pearl necklace. Tenacity is sure if Minerva can recover the necklace, the animals will be saved. Using her considerable detective skills, escaping one close call after another, and fulfilling her lifelong wish to befriend a human, Minerva is able to recover the necklace and, with the help of her new animal friends, surreptitiously return it to the owner in the very nick of time. Includes additional information about pygmy shrews, chipmunks, and flying squirrels.

I often find that mysteries for younger kids have a pretty low-stakes mystery with a less-than-amazing resolution. Not so with this book, which features engaging characters, a life-threatening case to crack in a short amount of time, one narrow squeak after another, and a very cool resolution to the mystery that will have kids going back through the story to find the clues they missed. The cute black-and-white illustrations add to the fun; I particularly liked the one of all the small animals carrying the recovered pearl necklace over their heads.

The Healer and the Phoenix (Legendary Allies, book 1) by Linda Trinh, illustrated by Quynh Anh Nguyen (Annick Press, 172 pages, grades 2-5). Mai is excited on her tenth birthday to be getting an ally animal that will live with her and help her to stay on the path of doing good in the world. When her animal turns out to be the phoenix, she becomes part of the Legendary Allies team that goes on quests all over the land of Van Lang. She’s joined by two other kids and their animals, with the fourth member of the team yet to be chosen. Mai questions whether or not she belongs on the team and wonders if she can fulfill her role as Healer. When a mysterious illness starts spreading in one of the provinces, the team is sent on a quest there, with Mai quickly becoming the key member of the team. As she learns to quiet her mind and trust her team, her phoenix, and herself, she surprises herself by coming up with a healing solution that helps not only those in the province but her own mother who is also suffering from the illness. Includes a preview of book 2, which features Cam and their turtle Emerald.

This short chapter book with lots of illustrations could be a good choice for kids ready to move on from Dragon Masters or some of the other Branches chapter book series. The colorful manga style illustrations, mythological animals, and kids being the heroes of the quests are all elements that are sure to appeal to young readers. I did feel at times like the author was leaning a little too heavily into a message, especially with the illness, which was caused by people forgetting their cultures, but overall, this is a fun and imaginative series starter.