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Plum and Woo #1
The Puzzling Pearls
Hannah Plum loves fashion, fun, and junk food. Patti Woo is obsessed with detective novels, lives in leggings, and is definitely not Hannah’s friend. But the two girls are stuck at the beachside Heartbreak Hotel together while Hannah’s dad and Patti’s mum are out birdwatching and – yuck! – falling in love.
When a hotel guest’s beautiful pink wedding dress is stolen, Hannah is determined to get to the bottom of it. With a reluctant Patti in tow, the two girls are launched into an ever-deepening mystery. Why is a wedding planner sending secret signals to an unknown guest? Who’s leaving creepy wet diving relics in the hotel rooms? And could some long-lost, famous pink pearls be at the heart of it all?
If Plum and Woo want to survive the summer, they’ll need to solve this mystery in style. But first, they’ll have to survive each other …
When a hotel guest’s beautiful pink wedding dress is stolen, Hannah is determined to get to the bottom of it. With a reluctant Patti in tow, the two girls are launched into an ever-deepening mystery. Why is a wedding planner sending secret signals to an unknown guest? Who’s leaving creepy wet diving relics in the hotel rooms? And could some long-lost, famous pink pearls be at the heart of it all?
If Plum and Woo want to survive the summer, they’ll need to solve this mystery in style. But first, they’ll have to survive each other …
- GenresMystery
249 pages, Paperback
First published April 7, 2021
About the author
Lisa Siberry
4 books7 followersLisa Siberry is a Sydney-based children’s author who spent many years working at the ABC. Her debut children’s novel, The Brilliant Ideas of Lily Green, won the 2017 Ampersand Prize, the premier award for debut authors in Australia and New Zealand.
www.lisasiberry.com
www.lisasiberry.com
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 14, 2025
Perfect for middle schoolers. No political agenda. This book is lighthearted, mysterious, and overall a lovely example of how giving people a chance, you can make lasting friendships. I look forward to reading the second book. Ages 11+.
No swearing or sexual content.
No swearing or sexual content.
November 19, 2024
The Puzzling Pearls is a chapter book for kids by Lisa Siberry. It is the first book in the Plum and Woo series. It features two young girls, who have been brought on holiday by their parents (who are both single, in a birdwatching group together, and the girls notice how close the two parents have been getting). Neither of the girls get along with each other; they feel like they have different interests. However, when there are thefts in the hotel, the two of them work together to try and figure out who has been committing these crimes, as well as following some old clues from a poetry author.
I’m quite a fan of cosy mysteries, and that’s the primary reason why I chose to read this book. I felt like it sounded reasonably enjoyable, and that I thought the book description made it seem like an interesting mystery. Once I began reading it, I was kind of sceptical, mainly because both of the girls seem like very stereotyped characters, without much originality to them. The character Hannah is a stereotypical fashionista, who only seems to care about clothing and people looking good. She doesn’t seem like a very good role model, to be blunt. She’s kind of a bully, considering the way she mocks the way people look, and the way people dress. The character Patti is a mix of a sporty stereotype and a brainiac stereotype. Though, throughout the book, she seems very much like a bully, and she’s not a very good role model either. She has a habit of trying to scare of her mother’s love interests and, at one point, Patti brags about having hospitalised one… Yikes! I would hate to get on her bad side. (It felt weird that the author was trying to pass it off, almost as if it were a joke, but it just didn’t seem funny to me; getting someone sent to the hospital just because you don’t want them dating your mother is a pretty serious thing. A very negative thing to do.) Anyway, throughout the book, they both had a lot of negative personality aspects, which made it difficult for me to like them. They both treated each other, and a variety of other people, very poorly. Neither were very good role models. And their regular bickering made the book feel really negative.
Though, I’ll admit that I thought the overall plot line of the story had some interesting points. I did kind of like the idea of the stolen wedding dresses, and the stuff about the pearls. For a mystery, I thought there were some really good moments that the author wrote into the book. There was a reasonably good amount of foreshadowing, with clues and bits of evidence. I wasn’t impressed with the way the protagonists gained a lot of evidence. Let’s be honest, if it were a real life criminal investigation, a lot of the evidence would get thrown out of the courtroom. Though, I’m not judging it too harshly, in that respect; I felt like the author isn’t trying to be realistic, because they’re writing for kids. And, let’s be honest, the kids wouldn’t know the problematic areas of such legal investigations. Anyway, I digress… I think the author could have simplified the case a lot, because a lot of the found clues seemed kind of irrelevant, and a lot of the characters kind of seemed unnecessary because I felt like they didn’t add much important to the story.
Overall… I think the main thought I’m left with is that I think I would probably be okay with reading another book in the series; I think the author did an okay job of writing a mystery. However, I think I might avoid reading more, just because I didn’t like either protagonist very much, and their disagreements made the book feel really negative. As for this book, it definitely had some good moments; I certainly had a good chuckle when we found out who “the eagle” was. I was debating rating the book a 2/5 star or a 3/5 star; I ultimately decided a 3 star, because I think the author gave it a good go.
I’m quite a fan of cosy mysteries, and that’s the primary reason why I chose to read this book. I felt like it sounded reasonably enjoyable, and that I thought the book description made it seem like an interesting mystery. Once I began reading it, I was kind of sceptical, mainly because both of the girls seem like very stereotyped characters, without much originality to them. The character Hannah is a stereotypical fashionista, who only seems to care about clothing and people looking good. She doesn’t seem like a very good role model, to be blunt. She’s kind of a bully, considering the way she mocks the way people look, and the way people dress. The character Patti is a mix of a sporty stereotype and a brainiac stereotype. Though, throughout the book, she seems very much like a bully, and she’s not a very good role model either. She has a habit of trying to scare of her mother’s love interests and, at one point, Patti brags about having hospitalised one… Yikes! I would hate to get on her bad side. (It felt weird that the author was trying to pass it off, almost as if it were a joke, but it just didn’t seem funny to me; getting someone sent to the hospital just because you don’t want them dating your mother is a pretty serious thing. A very negative thing to do.) Anyway, throughout the book, they both had a lot of negative personality aspects, which made it difficult for me to like them. They both treated each other, and a variety of other people, very poorly. Neither were very good role models. And their regular bickering made the book feel really negative.
Though, I’ll admit that I thought the overall plot line of the story had some interesting points. I did kind of like the idea of the stolen wedding dresses, and the stuff about the pearls. For a mystery, I thought there were some really good moments that the author wrote into the book. There was a reasonably good amount of foreshadowing, with clues and bits of evidence. I wasn’t impressed with the way the protagonists gained a lot of evidence. Let’s be honest, if it were a real life criminal investigation, a lot of the evidence would get thrown out of the courtroom. Though, I’m not judging it too harshly, in that respect; I felt like the author isn’t trying to be realistic, because they’re writing for kids. And, let’s be honest, the kids wouldn’t know the problematic areas of such legal investigations. Anyway, I digress… I think the author could have simplified the case a lot, because a lot of the found clues seemed kind of irrelevant, and a lot of the characters kind of seemed unnecessary because I felt like they didn’t add much important to the story.
Overall… I think the main thought I’m left with is that I think I would probably be okay with reading another book in the series; I think the author did an okay job of writing a mystery. However, I think I might avoid reading more, just because I didn’t like either protagonist very much, and their disagreements made the book feel really negative. As for this book, it definitely had some good moments; I certainly had a good chuckle when we found out who “the eagle” was. I was debating rating the book a 2/5 star or a 3/5 star; I ultimately decided a 3 star, because I think the author gave it a good go.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 23, 2021
I loved Lily Green so much. I was really hoping that would spin off into a series of novels by this exciting new author, but that was not to be. Plum & Woo, however, is a very worthy successor. As a fantasy fan, I missed the touch of magic that was peppered in Lily Green, but I found the mystery in Plum & Woo made up for that. It took me back to the days I read the Redwall series as a young girl - with clues in poems and other places left by a dead poet. The book is an adventure and you're taken along and engaged in solving it. Like in Lily Green, the author's writing is very visually evocative and colourful (literally). I appreciated the diversity in the characters. It's a page turner and I ravished it. Highly recommended in this genre and can't wait for the next instalment.
November 19, 2021
Hooked from the moment, Patti told Hannah to leave her alone because she was reading and was up to the good part “where the guy gets strangled” 😂 if that’s not relatable!
I loved the mystery that centred around a slightly run down hotel - all painted pink - with a 💔 backstory which went perfectly with a series of strange occurrences, stolen pink dresses, the hotel sign catching fire, threatening notes… as well as Patti’s Mum and Hannah’s Dad bird watching holiday slowly becoming a falling in love story much to the girls (initial) horror.
Hannah’s fashion obsession reminded me of Claudia from the Baby Sitters Club - they would be kindred spirits!
I loved the mystery that centred around a slightly run down hotel - all painted pink - with a 💔 backstory which went perfectly with a series of strange occurrences, stolen pink dresses, the hotel sign catching fire, threatening notes… as well as Patti’s Mum and Hannah’s Dad bird watching holiday slowly becoming a falling in love story much to the girls (initial) horror.
Hannah’s fashion obsession reminded me of Claudia from the Baby Sitters Club - they would be kindred spirits!
April 13, 2021
Another winner from the author of The Brilliant Ideas Of Lily Green. I bought this for my train trip home on Saturday and almost missed my stop because I was so caught up in this delightful detective story with fantastic characters and an engaging storyline. I can't wait for part 2! (I made my husband take the dog out for his afternoon toddle so I could finish it soon as I got home)
May 2, 2021
I read this book before giving it to my niece (couldn’t resist it after Lily Green!). It has just the right amount of humour, mystery, suspense and danger for its age group and I was compelled to finish the book. I’m thinking it would really make good television. Looking forward to Plum and Woo’s next exciting adventure...
November 10, 2021
Nothing pleases a young reader more than a series with engaging characters. They enter the new world, eager to follow their favourites wherever the author may lead them. With Plum & Woo, Lisa Siberry has created two young mystery solvers who engaged this older reader and will be a delight for my young granddaughters. They will read this one with pleasure and be eager to go on to the next.
April 14, 2021
A thrilling read for young readers. Also for grandparents wanting to share a book with their grand kids.
April 14, 2021
This book is a real page turner. I'm a grandmother and Plum & Woo took me right back to my childhood. A great gift for any child!
April 20, 2021
I keep thinking about the window marked with kisses and how the sun rose perfectly through it to align behind the one lone palm tree. This is a mystery that will have you spellbound to the very end.
April 21, 2021
This is the first novel my daughter read all by herself.
Quote: I like this book because it is very interesting and it has a lot of interesting adventures
I look forward to read book 2
Quote: I like this book because it is very interesting and it has a lot of interesting adventures
I look forward to read book 2
June 12, 2021
It was a great mystery book and very funny. Wonderful characters.
July 21, 2022
First chapter book read with my little girl.
Great story and has her hooked on reading!
Great story and has her hooked on reading!
February 1, 2026
this book is my favourite of the series plum and woo learn to be friends and it's great
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 1, 2026
Great book, I couldn't figure it out! It was written very well.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews