One of the things I try and stock up on for the longer school holidays is books for Anya.  I mix it up with some new books as well as pull out old books that she hasn’t looked at for a while.  This is exactly what I did before the long Easter/Spring break.  I always try and include a few different types of books to keep her interested so I’ll maybe include a puzzle book, a story book and a joke book or a fact book.

Just before the holidays, I came across Pierre the Maze Detective and thought it sounded like a great boredom buster for those days that we spend at home.  As soon as it arrived, we thought we’d take a quick look but ended up pouring over the book for over an hour.  Pierre the Maze Detective is a big book with 15 double page spread mazes.  The story behind the book is that Mr X has stolen the maze stone and has used it to turn Opera City in to one giant maze.  Pierre the Maze Detective is our only hope of stopping Mr X. Pierre’s job (which is the readers task) is to work his way through the complex mazes, solve the challenges that Mr X has left along the way and eventually stop Mr X.

This book has SO much to discover.  Each double page has a theme so it’s set in places like a museum or a castle or a haunted mansion, all within Opera city.  The amount of detail included on each page is breathtaking.  Each page has a main maze and then there are often smaller mazes to discover within it.  Also there are lots and lots of little objects to find on each page.  Some of the hidden objects are stars and trophies that appear on every page but there are also other things that are page specific like 10 goats have gone missing in the Castle and we have to find them.  Each maze draws you in and engages you for hours.

This book may sound easy but it’s not.  The mazes are complex and intricate and the objects to discover are tiny, all placed within pages that are so incredibly detailed.  Pierre the Maze Detective is therefore probably best for 7 years+.  We’ve found it a great book to pour over together – all three of us.  On a Sunday morning, lying in bed Richard, Anya and I can spend hours looking, solving and discovering this book.  We even set our own little challenges like the first one to find 3 gold stars wins.  Even though we’ve had this book for over a month, we’re not even half way though it – it’s not easy but that’s exactly why it’s so engaging and addictive.

My UK readers can find Pierre the Maze Detective here while my US readers can find it here.  If you get it, let me know what you think.

P.S. If you’d like some more book recommendations, here are a few of our favourite kids books.