Gumshoe Sam and the Case of the Blueberry Jam by E.K. Mockingham follows Sam, a chimpanzee detective in his trademark trench coat and fedora. He's halfway through a quiet lunch in an Edinburgh pub when the Castle's Royal Guard rushes in with bad news: the Royal Blueberry Jam Recipe has been stolen. Sam grabs his glowing magnifying glass and heads out to get to the bottom of it. Walking up the misty cobblestone streets toward majestic Edinburgh Castle, the observant detective begins sniffing out clues and spotting tiny, sticky blue spots along dark hallways, grand tapestries, and winding stone staircases. Will Sam’s sharp nose and keen eyes help him track down the missing recipe in time?

Gumshoe Sam and the Case of the Blueberry Jam by E.K. Mockingham is such a lovely book to spend time with. The watercolor illustrations are gorgeous, and they really capture that foggy, magical feel of Edinburgh, from the cobblestone streets right up to the castle itself. Sam is such a sweet character too. He solves his mysteries through curiosity and patience rather than anything rough or aggressive, and that gentle approach makes him such an easy hero for kids to root for. There are little sound effects scattered through the story that make reading aloud so much fun -- kids will want to join in every time. Underneath all the fun, there's a nice little lesson too, about slowing down and paying close attention to the small things, because you never know where they might lead. It's a warm, cozy bedtime story that would be worth reading again and again.

Do you like blueberry jam? Well, there’s a really special royal blueberry jam recipe, one that everyone loves. It’s a recipe from a Scottish castle. In E.K. Mockingham’s Gumshoe Sam and the Case of the Blueberry Jam, this royal recipe has disappeared. And there’s only one detective suited to solve the mystery: Gumshoe Sam. Wearing a trench coat and detective hat, Gumshoe Sam looks the part of a refined, dignified detective. Can he live up to his reputation and solve the mystery of the missing recipe? There are lots of blueberry clues to lead the way, and the clanking suits of armor in the castle add a spooky trail that may or may not divert his attention. It’s going to take all of Gumshoe Sam’s abilities, including his curiosity about each hidden clue (some noticeable in the illustrations), as well as his general knack for careful observation, creative thinking, and, of course, the ability to look at things from many different angles.

E.K. Mockingham’s early reader story, Gumshoe Sam and the Case of the Blueberry Jam, is full of fun and adventure that will appeal to elementary-aged readers. The plot is well developed in simple language and with lots of illustrations to add to the mystery and provide some clues so the young reader can make their own discoveries, a clever technique the author has developed to make the Gumshoe Sam stories interactive. Everything about this story is light and full of giggles, so young readers will be entertained as well as inspired to develop their own skills of observation and discovery. Overall, this is a great read. It’s a mystery, for sure, but it does kind of smell like blueberries.