The Great Cake Mystery: Precious Ramotswe's Very First Case (2000) - Plot & Excerpts
Baru tahu ternyata ada seri Precious kecil ini :P. Seri ini untuk anak-anak. Bahasanya tentu saja lebih sederhana. Kasusnya jauh lebih sederhana daripada seri dewasanya yang kasusnya juga kebanyakan sederhana :D. Bahkan bisa dibilang di buku ini tidak ada kasus sama sekali. Lah dari awal juga pembaca udah tahu siapa biang keladi kasus ini berangkat dari judulnya :P. Tapi sepertinya memang menuliskan misteri bukanlah tujuan utama penulis.Buku ini memuat prinsip-prinsip penting dalam hidup yang dituliskan secara sederhana. Mungkin anak-anak akan lebih mudah memahami prinsip-prinsip itu. Mungkin ya soalnya kan si pembaca udah bukan anak-anak lagi :P. This book is a young reader mystery, telling the story of Precious Ramotswe's first case. Precious is the star of the adult books, The No. 1 Ladie's Detective Agency.There are so many reasons I think this book is very cool: 1) the illustrations are phenomenal; 2) it is a mystery for young readers; 3) the main character is a smart girl; 4) it is set in Botswana.I have two significant complaints about the book. First, it seemed clear to me that it was written by a Westerner. I did not believe that he got the "world" of the book quite right. I also found some of his language unhelpful in promoting biases. For example, he described Botswana as being "down near the bottom of Africa" and a river in Botswana as flowing "the wrong way." I understand that he is trying to simplify for children. But it betrays his worldview from the Northern Hemisphere. My second complaint is that Precious' important characteristic that is emphasized at the beginning is how nice she is. Niceness is a good thing. But girls don't need another role model who is extremely "nice." They have plenty of those. I think that Precious' creativity, intelligent, and agency are better qualities to emphasize and applaud.
What do You think about The Great Cake Mystery: Precious Ramotswe's Very First Case (2000)?
A nice find for young readers, Precious Ramotswe's very first case. Let the monkey business begin!
—k2ty
Good beginning mystery for kids. Has the feeling of Anansi tale to it.
—carmel
