THE NO. 1 LADIES’ DETECTIVE AGENCY - Young Readers Fans around the world adore the bestselling No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, the basis of the HBO TV show, and its proprietor Precious Ramotswe, Botswana’s premier lady detective.  In this charming series, Mma  Ramotswe navigates her cases and her personal life with wisdom, and good humor—not to mention help from her loyal assistant, Grace Makutsi, and the occasional cup of tea.   Have you ever said to yourself, Wouldn’t it be nice to be a detective?   This is the story of an African girl who says just that. Her name is Precious.   When a piece of cake goes missing from her classroom, a traditionally built young boy is tagged as the culprit. Precious, however, is not convinced. She sets out to find the real thief. Along the way she learns that your first guess isn’t always right. She also learns how to be a detective. Adult fans of Smith’s No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series will be queuing up to give this prequel of sorts to the children they know. This series starter introduces the author’s heroine, Precious Ramotswe, as a young girl solving her first case. Someone has been stealing treats from her friends at school, and suspicion swirls around a chubby boy named Poloko. Encouraged by her father, who has noted Precious’ powers of deduction, the sleuth decides to follow her instincts and prove Poloko innocent. The story is simply told—Smith has previous experience with children’s books with the Akimbo series—and it will work well for children new to the mystery genre. Adding to the appeal are McIntosh’s wonderful graphic illustrations done in red and black. A map of Botswana and drawings of the flora, fauna, and settings mentioned in the text will give readers a clear picture of Precious’ world. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Parents who devour the No. 1 Ladies Dectective Agency books will likely foist this upon plenty of agreeable young readers. Those were international bestsellers; this could well have the same future. Grades 2-4. --Karen Cruze “A detective is born! What a delightful, breezy read!"      —Mary Pope Osborne, bestselling author of The Magic Tree House series “Told with an innocence that will captivate young readers, The Great Cake Mystery is a kind-hearted, feel-good story for all. Loved it!”      —Graham Salisbury, author of Under the Blood-Red Sun and the Calvin Coconut series   “Kids will love this kind and clever new detective. They’ll love the mystery, and they might even love the thieves. I look forward to more!”      —Patricia Reilly Giff, award-winning author of Wild Girl and other books “Good for kids who like mysteries and stories about other cultures and friendship all packed into one.” — TIME for Kids magazine “Stunning artwork. . . . A compelling plot and interesting secondary characters, especially classmates who are quick to make unfounded accusations and their teacher, who provides wisdom just when it is needed, will leave readers wanting more. One case where an adaptation from an adult book is as much fun to read as the original.”      — Kirkus Reviews , starred review   “This mini mystery and its jaw-dropping illustrations will please proto-detectives, both large and small. . . . What [McCall Smith]’s done with The Great Cake Mystery is unique. . . . His fans will pluck it up like so many of his other books. . . . A really fun read.”      — School Library Journal "Bold and striking, McIntosh’s chunky, two-color woodcutlike pictures present evocative images of the African setting. This is a story, and a heroine, with impressive dimension."        - Publishers Weekly , starred review Alexander McCall Smith is the author of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, the Isabel Dalhousie series, the Portuguese Irregular Verbs series, the 44 Scotland Street series, and the Corduroy Mansions series. He was born in what is now known as Zimbabwe and lives in Scotland, where in his spare time he is a bassoonist in the RTO (Really Terrible Orchestra). Chapter One Have you ever said to yourself, Wouldn't it be nice to be a detective? Most of us will never have the chance to make that dream come true. Detectives, you see, are born that way. Right from the beginning they just know that this is what they want to be. And right from the beginning they show that solving mysteries is something they can do rather well. This is the story about a girl who becomes a detective. Her name is Precious. Precious smiled a lot. She often smiled even when she was not thinking about anything in particular. Nice people smile a lot, and Precious Ramotswe was one of the nicest girls in Botswana. Everyone said so. Botswana was the country she lived in. It was down toward the bottom of Africa. She lived in a wide dry land, which had a lot of amazing things to see. There was the Kalahari Desert, a great stretch of dry grass and thorn trees that went on and on into the distance, farther than any eye can see. Then there was t