Mr Badger and the Missing Ape

Mr Badger #2

by Leigh Hobbs

For longer than anyone can remember, Algernon has been standing absolutely still in his own special spot at the Boubles Grand Hotel. Everyone is shocked when he disappears. Can Mr Badger solve the mystery of the missing ape?

Don't miss the further adventures of Mr Badger and his friends at the Boubles Grand Hotel.

Genres: Childrens, Fiction

70 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Prabhjot Kaur · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mr. Badger is back but this time he is solving a mystery rather than panning a party at the Boubles Grand Hotel. Algernon, an ape has been standing in the lobby of the hotel for a very long time and suddenly he has disappeared.

Mr. Badger and Miss Pims start to look for him and place a sign saying that Algernon is away so as not to disappoint the kids. Mr. Badger finally solves the mystery and Algernon is returned to the glass case.

I really enjoyed the first story in the series but this wasn't as good. It is a good story to get young kids in to the mystery genre though.

3 stars

[Ian Laird · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mr Badger is a badger. He works at the Boubles Grand Hotel. He is the Special Events Manager. Never mind that everyone else in the story is human.

Well, with one exception, Algernon the giant ape, housed in a glass case in the hotel foyer and a perennially popular attraction for guests and visitors.

Until one day Algernon disappears, prompting a thorough investigation by Mr Badger, who knows most of the nooks, crannies and secret passages of Boubles Grand Hotel, and finds more of them as he discovers an old secret of the founder Sir Cecil Smithers-Carruthers, kept from Lady Celia and especially from their annoying granddaughter Sylvia.

As ever the story is beautifully illustrated with Leigh’s scratchy pen sketches, vibrating with life.

No-one ever thinks there is anything unusual about a badger holding down the job of Special Events Manager at a London Hotel, which is part of the charm of the story and the series.

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quaint early chapter book series for young readers, possibly best for avid readers who will be patient with the gentle and refined narrative and do not need action to hold their attention.

[Susanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up this beginner chapter book (part of a series) because I am looking for stories told from the perspective of an animal (like the Warrior cats); this book turned out to be something different. Mr. Badger is a badger only in form — he thinks and acts like a human, and even dresses in a natty uniform for his job as Special Events Manager for the Boubles Hotel. In this bite-size mystery, Mr. Badger investigates the disappearance of Algernon, a great ape specimen on permanent display in the hotel lobby. While I love the writing and illustrations by Leigh Hobbs, I do not like how the story romanticizes how the great ape was taken from the wild and brought to live in a London hotel.

[Nova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect book for kids starting to read chapter books and wanting to get into the mystery genre. A stuffed ape goes missing from a glass case in the lobby of a hotel. The plot keeps the reader guessing and I found it quite amusing.

[Beth Koorey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This first story of the Mr Badger series sets up the series marvelously. Beautiful writing and jammy illustrations.

[Kendall · Rating 4 out of 5]

very quick and easy to read. A little bit of fun!

[Angela-Claire]

Simply gorgeous!