Problem at the Playground (Undersea Mystery Club Book 1)

Problem at the Playground is the first book in the Undersea Mystery Club Book 1.

It’s an exciting day in Aquamarina. A new playground is opening and sea creatures from all over are coming to take part in the fun. Violet and her best friend fried Wally, a narwhal are also there.

On opening day, soon after Violet’s mother, the mayor of Aquamarina announces the playground’s opening, something weird happens–the playground equipment starts falling apart. A team of security dolphins 🐬 arrive on the scene and rope off the playground.

Shocked by this, Mayor Vespera calls for an emergency meeting with Rivet, the playground’s engineer and her team of engineers.

Apparently, someone sabotaged the new playground—they took all the screws, hinges, and nails from her equipment.

When she learns about this, Violet and Wally do a stakeout at the playground to catch the thief in the act.

Interesting story, cute illustrations. Suitable for kids.

Thank you to Courtney Carbone, NetGalley, and Andrews McMeel Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Review to be posted at the end of September on blog/Goodreads.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

How could I resist this cute looking book? A book about mermaids with a dash of mystery and fun illustrations (going by the adorable cover).

A new playground is being unveiled... but what is this? During the opening everything comes crashing down in one big giant mess. Apparently someone stole all the screws, nuts, and everything else that is supposed to hold the playground equipment together. Violet and Wally instantly perk up when they hear the word mystery, and I just loved how excited they were about the prospect of solving a mystery. They even have a clubhouse! Like any good detective should have. With some good brainfood (snacks)!

I had a laugh at the ideas Wally came up during the brainstorm and seeing Violet get more and more bored and tired of his ideas. I could imagine though given the things he comes up with. I would also have rolled my eyes. :P

Seeing how they set to work on solving the mystery was great and then discovering the culprits was fabulous, I hadn't expected those tiny little critters to do that, that was fun and interesting. I am glad to see how it all came together and how everything was solved.

The ending was cute, and I just love Violet's mom. She is sweet and has a nice sense of humour.

Excuse me, I need to squee. Security Dolphins! OMG Yes! One of my favourite animals looking tough as nails, but also still adorable.

The illustrations are just so well done and so cute, I love the style and I need more of it in my life.

The book ends with some real information on some of the things we saw in this book which is always a big plus in my opinion.

All in all, recommended if you are looking for a fun book with mystery and terrific characters. Oh and cute art!

I  received a free digital copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

This is the second book in the "Epic! Originals" line that I've read. (The other one was a different author)

This was a cute story about a mermaid and her best friend narwhal Wally. Wally was definitely my favorite character. When they have to sit down and brainstorm ideas? "Maybe an alien submarine came during the night, and it's part of their plan to take over the world."

My niece will enjoy this story!

There are problems in the underwater world when a new play park for the young oceanic lifeforms is scuppered, when it falls apart at the opening. All the bolts, screws and small bits holding it together seem to have well, bolted. Luckily the town is home to a slightly nervous narwhal and his attractive mermaid friend, and together they might just be able to solve the mystery. This is a perfectly pleasant story for the under-eights, which might have been a touch better here and there, but was entertaining. (If you need to know the quibbles, they are Why weren't we told the heroine is a mermaid in the text, Why couldn't we be reminded of who is who – even on a short story like this I had to check the rapidly-delivered opening to remember who is who when a third character opens its mouth, and Why start mentioning a fishing net with the definite article when only the illustrations have referenced it before then.) After the story some simple educational extras are decent, too. The illustrations are completely fine for this kind of book, and this imprint has yet to deliver a dud for me. A strong series opener here is definitely worth four stars.

Trouble is lurking in Aquamarina and Violet and her best friend Wally, a narwhal, are ready to solve the mystery.

It's a big day for the oceanic town as sea creatures from near and far traveled to see the unveiling of the new playground. Once the ribbon is cut, it all begins to fall apart-literally. Violet and Wally start to brainstorm and both decide the only sea creature capable of such a mess is Gill Sharkfin. He's known for being a master prankster, but would he really do this to the mayor and Aquamarina on such an important day?

My girls and I loved this easy to read ebook. It's the perfect level for a beginner reader. The characters are exciting and fresh- Hello Shark Security. 🕶 The illustrations are bright and perfect for a children's book. I loved the educational inserts at the end to explain more about the culprit.

Definitely recommend for ages 8 and younger as a beginner chapter book!

This was a really fun story to read. The illustrations were stunning and helped bring so many scenes to life. The characters are likable and Aquamarina was a beautiful place. It was a blast seeing these two friends work together on solving this mystery. Once it was solved things got back to normal and this playground meant more for the community than it did at first. This is a story I think has something for all ages to enjoy.

I liked the preview well enough to order a copy for my second grader who is reading beginning chapter books. This book is perfect for a reader like her! Thank you for the opportunity to read an early copy.

This is another new series for late primary students (age 8 or 9) in an early chapter book series. When a new playground is built in Aquamarina, the day has come for the grand opening. What greets all the sea creatures is a playground that falls apart because all the nuts, bolts and hinges are gone. Violet the mermaid and Wally the narwhal make up the Undersea Mystery Club and they get together to figure out what happened. When they stake out the playground that night, what they discover will not only solve the mystery but help to rebuild the playground. This was a cute early reader mystery with delightful illustrations and a fun story. The characters were interesting with human characteristics. There was friendship, curiosity, prank-playing, intelligence and fun. This was a simple mystery that was solved by hypothesizing, evaluating hypothesis, and finally observation. This is a good start to a new series for young readers. The back of the book includes facts and information about some of the sea creatures and even occupations of characters in the story for further investigation. I recommend this series for schools and classroom libraries or even family libraries.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley!

This book was adorable! I read some of it aloud to my six year old. My ten year old read it alone. While she was a little too "old" for this book in my opinion, it was a good, cute read for the 6-8 age group.

this was a cute children's book and a great start, the characters were good and I really loved the art. It had a good mystery and a good plot. Overall I enjoyed it and think it's going to be a good series.