Best Idea Yet (Willa and Woof #8) by Jacqueline Harvey

Title: Best Idea Yet (Willa and Woof #8)

Author: Jacqueline Harvey

Genre: Contemporary

Publisher: Puffin

Published: 8^th October 2024

Format: Paperback

Pages: 128

Price: $12.99

Synopsis: Adventure, imagination and loads of fun!

When Willa accidentally learns that Sunset Views Retirement Village, home of her best old-age friend, Frank, is about to be sold, she has a feeling something isn’t right. Trouble is she’s super busy with Clubs and soccer matches, and there’s a fete to prepare for.

With her suspicions confirmed, Willa will need to enlist her best four-legged friend, Woof, and her best same-age friend, Tae, to help solve the trouble next door and save Sunset Views.

Can Willa come up with her best idea yet?

~*~

Willa is devastated. She’s heard that Cassowary Surveyors want to buy Sunset Views Retirement Village.  It means that everyone is going to be leaving, her mum will have to find a new job, and Willa will lose her best old-age friend, Frank. Willa can sense that something isn’t quite right. She knows there has to be more to the story than what everyone is telling her, and what they know. But she’s so busy with soccer matches and clubs and preparing for the fete.

Once her suspicions are confirmed, and she can see that the worst is going to happen, she gest her best four-legged friend, Woof and best same-age friend, Tae to help, But will Willa’s help result in more chaos? Or will it ensure her community is intact for a long time to come?

In the eighth Willa and Woof book, there’s a new mystery afoot. Someone dubious wants to buy Sunset Views Retirement Village, and turn it into a resort. He’s pretty sure he can pull the wool over everyone’s eyes, and convince the owners they’re doing the right thing. After all, it’s all about progress right? Well, not everyone is convinced. And while the adults seem resigned to the fate of things, the kids sure aren’t!

Having Willa and Tae investigate and find out what is really going on is a staple of the Will and Woof series. And for many books and series with child detectives. Willa is determined to save the village, because the kids from her school are involved with the residents, and it’s a very important part of Willa’s life and social circle. And for someone who is very community-minded like Willa, the new businessman is bad news! I loved that this book brought the generations and their various skills and knowledges together, like Mrs Goldman. Mrs Goldman used her legal knowledge to dig deeper and help Willa find out what was really going on.

As part of a series, it builds on the previous books and the community that Willa has, much like Jacqueline’s other books. They all have a sense of mystery, community and family within them. It’s what makes her books work so well. But they’re more than that. They’ve got important life lessons about creativity, problem-solving and being resilient in the face of changes and obstacles. This allows younger readers to explore how they might face challenges in their lives, and how they can resolve problems they might face. It’s also about thinking outside the box, just like Jacqueline’s other books like Alice-Miranda, Kensy and Max, and The Girl and the Ghost.

Another beautiful thing about this Willa and Woof story is the role of friendship, which is found in many shapes and forms throughout the book and the series. There’s aspects of loyalty, understanding, support and creativity, because all friendships work when people are there for each other. It ensures that the powerful message about community is threaded throughout the novel, and that everyone in the novel has a chance to be heard. As a story about a mystery and integration of generations, it shows that everyone needs to work together when something they care about is threatened.