The Creatures of Chichester: The one about the mystery blaze

by Christopher Joyce, Joe Elgie (Illustrator)

As a royal prince takes his first breath, strange things happen to the Twolegs of Chichester. It's something to do with the swirling purple cloud that has suddenly appeared above the cathedral. A little deaf girl and her pet rabbit, Plectrum, have no idea about the danger they are in - or how their lives will change forever. Once again, Button and Stitchley, the intrepid spiders from North Street call on the creatures of Chichester to solve the mystery as they battle with the starving foxes howling in the night.

138 pages, Paperback

First published October 2, 2013

Reviews

[Christoph Fischer]

"The Creatures of Chichester: The One About the Mystery Blaze" by Christopher Joyce is a well written story for young animal lovers that describes the human world / 'two legs' from the perspective of animals, namely two hamsters, Shandy and Mash.
Several attempt to break into the hamsters' family home and a fire need to be investiagted. With the help of a variety of animals they are solving the mystery.
Highly imaginative, creative, with great characters and a sense of humour this is a wonderful book that should entice parents and children alike.
Charming, funny and hugely enjoyable.

[Helen Christmas]

It made such a pleasant change to read a children’s book, compared to my usual genre, so I was greatly captivated by this story. It follows the adventures of two adorable hamsters, Shady and Mash, rapidly caught up in a mystery, which involves enlisting the help of a whole cast of characters, from spiders and bees to a couple of doggies. I found the story engaging, nicely written and with an authentic Chichester setting which includes some well-known landmarks. Children of all ages will love it, adults too, who enjoy a little innocent escapism. The book contains beautiful illustrations and I think it would also make a great cartoon.

[Elias Zapple]

This is a rather novel and mad story as two twin hamsters witness a burglary then set out to solve it along with some fellow creatures - no slugs. Whilst out there's a fire and their home, a pub, is burnt down. Luckily their child owner is saved but his mother has gone missing! The hamsters then try to solve this mystery too. Of course, if they had enlisted the help of slugs then it would've been solved within a jiffy. This is a marvellous story full of twists and suspense - whoever thought that hamsters could be this smart? Could they give my slugs a run for their money? No. Along with bees, a ladybird and the wonderful setting of Chichester, it's a fun story and well worth getting.

[Carol Thomas]

I read this book to my children, aged seven and ten, as a bedtime story. They really enjoyed revisiting characters they knew from the previous book and meeting new creatures too. They found this story more dramatic than the last and with clown masks and a fire, I wasn't sure how it was going to go down at bedtime, but they had no problem with it at all. They were always keen for me to read on and enjoyed piecing together the evidence. We are looking forward to reading the next in the series.

[Betty Macy]

A delightful tale for older children about a crime from the viewpoint of the animals, both wild and domestic.

[Andrew Weaver]

This is a wonderful story from Christopher Joyce. It’s clearly aimed at older children and the pictures within the book are quite delightful.
It’s a shame that I finished the book so quickly!

[Julian Kirkman-Page]

I bought this for a friend of mine's young son but I enjoyed it so much myself they can buy their own copy! Espoecially fun for anyone who lives in or near Chichester. Loved it.