Maisy and the Missing Mice

The Maisy Files, Volume 1

By: Elizabeth Woodrum

Narrated by: Reba Buhr

Maisy Sawyer is not your average fourth grade student. She is a detective with a special skill for solving mysteries. In the first story in the series, Maisy tries to solve the case when her school's mascots go missing. The thief contacts Maisy and steals from her as well. Can Maisy catch the thief and return the mice to their home in the science lab?

©2013 Elizabeth Woodrum (P)2013 Elizabeth Woodrum

Maisy 1 Book Review

Would you recommend Maisy and the Missing Mice to your friends? Why or why not?

I would recommend it to elementary aged children that like mystery books

Have you listened to any of Reba Buhr’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This was my first time listening to Reba but the narrator does an awesome job of sounding like a 4th grader

A fun mystery for kids.

This was a fun and quick read. I listened to it with my 6 year old and he loved it.

Maisy loves the old black and white detective movies and loves nothing better than solving mysteries like her favourite detectives. When her school mascots goes missing, Maisy goes into detective mode to find them.

As I said, my 6 year old son really enjoyed this. He thought Maisy was brave and smart and had a lot of fun trying to see who was the culprit. Myself, I thought Maisy is a worthy heroine. I loved how when she goes into detective mode, she sees the world as black and white and when she gets close to solving it, the colour starts to seep back in. It was a unique and interesting addition to Maisy.

The plot is fast paced and even though it's a very short listen, it was a well fleshed out and entertaining read. The author did a great job of building the suspense and clues and creating a lovable heroine.

In all, a great listen for your child. It captures their attention and makes them eager to read the whole book.

Initially, I found it odd to listen to Reba Buhr because she sounded like a chipmunk, very high pitched and fast, but I quickly saw that my son must have accidentally sped up the speed because it was at 2.5 times the normal!! Once I slowed it down a bit, the narrator became a little more easier to listen to, though I still found her to use too high a pitch for Maisy. It felt a little forced!

Great time.

Would you consider the audio edition of Maisy and the Missing Mice to be better than the print version?

Listening to the characters was a lot of fun. The voices add personality.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Maisy and Veronica. They're great together.

Which character – as performed by Reba Buhr – was your favorite?

Veronica.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed when the boy with the allergies talked for the first time. The book has a lot of suspense too.

Any additional comments?

I didn't like listening to one of the characters saying the video games were stupid.

Old-fashioned and clean, appeals to modern kids

If you could sum up Maisy and the Missing Mice in three words, what would they be?

fun, quirky, and old-fashioned

What did you like best about this story?

I love the way this book is old-fashioned and clean, yet still appeals to modern kids. It is obvious that the author knows and enjoys many fourth graders on a regular basis. The mystery was intriguing even to me, and I found myself thinking and trying to solve the mystery before Maisy did! My favorite thing about the book was that while Maisy is on a case, she sees the world in black and white like in old detective movies. I just love that!

Have you listened to any of Reba Buhr’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is our first, but we would definitely buy another of hers!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

A few parts made us laugh out loud.

Really Fun Kids' Mystery

Maisy and the Missing Mice was a fun mystery for the younger set. I have to say, I enjoyed it as well. The story was well written and it was fun to guess 'whodunit'. I thought the narrator did a nice job.

Loved It!

What made the experience of listening to Maisy and the Missing Mice the most enjoyable?
The story flowed smoothly, not boring parts, and the narration was perfect!

Who was your favorite character and why?
Maisy was my favorite character. I loved how she was determined to find out who the thief was and didn't give up.

What about Reba Buhr’s performance did you like?
I'm very picky when it comes to narrators. Most of the time they get on my nerves, especially when doing both male and female voices, but Reba nailed it.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
It was only an hour long, so I did listen to it in one sitting. If it had been longer, I still would have done my best to listen to it until the end because I loved everything about it.