Alice-Miranda to the Rescue by Jacqueline Harvey

Title: Alice-Miranda to the Rescue

Author: Jacqueline Harvey

Genre: Fiction/Mystery

Publisher: Puffin Australia

Published: 17^th September 2019/1^st February 2016

Format: Paperback

Pages: 384

Price: $16.99

Synopsis: Mischief and mayhem at Winchesterfield-Downsfordvale

It’s the beginning of term and Alice-Miranda is delighted to be back at school. There is excitement in the air with the news of Miss Reedy and Mr Plumpton’s engagement and fast-approaching wedding. When a surprise arrival is added to the mix, both the students and teachers are thrown into a spin. Meanwhile, Caprice and Millie’s bickering reaches an all-time high, and things look set to explode.

Nearby, in Winchesterfield, there is plenty afoot with the village about to host Chudleigh’s, the country’s most prestigious dog show. Along with the event come a series of bizarre characters. Could their strange behaviour be hiding something more alarming? If so, Alice-Miranda will need to act quickly to save the day!

~*~

There’s a new term at school, and Alice-Miranda is excited! Miss Reedy and Mr Plumpton are (finally)getting married, and the girls are going to help with a local dog show, Chudleigh’s Dog Show. Caprice is back to her old tricks trying to set Millie up, and make her look bad. After their Swiss adventure, things seemed like they were getting better. So why is Caprice so determined to make Millie look bad and blame her for things she hasn’t even done?

Alice-Miranda and her friends are excited about Miss Reedy and Mr Plumpton’s wedding. They’re going to sing and be part of it, yet there’s going to be a bit of a delay and glitch with the dog show being held at the school. Nosey Parker is determined for things to run perfectly, even if it means inconveniencing students and classes. She’s got an image to uphold, after all.

Things get hectic when Caprice finds a lost puppy in the school grounds and tries to hide him. yet an incident above the stables reveals her secret and seems to humble her a little. Though I think she really wants to make things hard for Millie, and it’ll be interesting to see how this develops over the next few books. I don’t think I would have liked her much at first either, and Alice-Miranda is a saint for trying to constantly smooth things over and repair bridges. If she didn’t though, she wouldn’t be Alice-Miranda.

This all ensures the drama unfolds as each character sees the same van at different times, and as Alice-Miranda tries to help someone who used to participate in dog shows. There are things that are too perfect and too coincidental throughout the novel, which adds to the mystery and the tensions around whether the wedding will go ahead or not. Each Alice-Miranda book has a bit of a mystery, and I loved this one, as it was about animals and puppies. It explores friendship, love, loyalty and everything in between. This makes it a fun book, and I loved everything in this book, and the way it sits within the series and brings in elements of the past twelve books.

I’m loving my Alice-Miranda journey this year, and I only have five books left that I haven’t read, books fourteen to eighteen. It’s a lovely series, and one that middle grade readers have adored, and I hope they still do. I think each character brought something unique to this book, and we get to see them evolve and grow throughout the series, so I think there is hope for Caprice yet! She does have some redeeming qualities, as all the characters do.

Tensions are rising everywhere, and everyone is ready to explode. The tensions give it the zest that each Alice-Miranda book has whilst still having a gentle mystery and story that evokes a sense of community and safety, making it fun for all readers. It’s a wonderful addition to the series and I hope that readers can continue to discover and rediscover it throughout the years.

Onto book fourteen!