What a lovely surprise this book was. I don't read a lot of middle grade, but I enjoyed seeing what adventures Lori and Max will get on. The two main characters are fantastic and the mystery was well plotted.

I don’t read many children’s books, but having a small child I thought I would test the waters. I loved this fun and exciting children’s book and would thoroughly enjoy reading it to my child when she is a bit older.

Lori and Max are intelligent and likeable protagonists. Relevant to the age group with immersive crime-solving, this is an engaging first crime fiction book. Action and adventure, vibrant characters and an urban setting with contemporary issues explored insightfully by the author.

I received a copy of this book from Firefly Press via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

So many elements of this book bring warm endearment to the characters and situations within the story. A good mix of humour and adventure make the story realistic enough to engage but far fetched enough to entertain. A real page turner that leads you through mystery and mishap and a need to know what happens next. Cleverly written and leaves you itching for more.

Lori and Max and the Book Thieves far surpassed my expectations. I expected a Secret Seven type mystery about a stolen book, with lots of japes and a few too many references to food, and I was delighted to find that I couldn’t have been any more wrong.

This is a proper mystery, which feels perfectly suited to today’s young readers. It deals with big issues such as gang-related pressure, poverty, mental health disorders, addiction and grief in a very matter-of-fact way. The characters are likeable and the different narrative styles make each chapter different and interesting to read.

The story was unpredictable, fresh and gritty. It’s a very modern take on the mystery genre and I know it will be enjoyed by the children in my class.

A fun, engaging book which also brings up some interesting and relevant discussion points for class reading. The characters are highly relatable and children will enjoy the slightly madcap style of the adventure. I can highly recommend this book.

A fun, twisting mystery with loveable characters! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and the humor will resonate well with my children. Covers are so important for this age as they need to be enticed towards a book and this ticks all the boxes.

A brilliant cozy mystery that was well written and came to a satisfactory end. I loved the main characters and the dual narrative. The plot was a fantastically weaved mystery. It was unpredictable and fun. We got to see all of the characters flaws and strengths which made them pretty well-rounded. The epilogue finished things off neatly by telling us what happened next to the characters. It was a great read an I would definitely recommend it.

Lori & Max and The Book Thieves is the second book in the series from Costa award-winning author Catherine O'Flynn. Although I hadn't read the first Lori and Max adventure, that didn’t impact on the structure of the story, as O’Flynn appears to write each book as a standalone adventure. Although, I am sure that many young readers would like to read the developing series in published order, as I did when I was a child.
Lori & Max and The Book Thieves is a rip-roaring, fast paced adventure story and a great introduction to crime fiction, allowing its reader to 'join the dots' as the story unfolds. Our super sleuthing heroine is Lori who, with her loyal side kick Max, yearns to be a private detective. She spends her days actively seeking for signs of criminal activity at school and on the streets, keeping note of almost everything she sees in her secret notebook. This aspect did make me smile as it brought memories of my own childhood, when my friend and I would walk up and down our very short cul-de-sac taking down the number plates of parked cars…just in case. We were never really sure what use our meticulous notes would serve, but I suspect that our notebooks resembled those of Lori’s.
Unfortunately though, and much to Lori's displeasure, nothing much seems to happen in the town where she lives. And things don’t even start to improve when Max’s phone is stolen, and the feisty girls find themselves in hot pursuit of phone thieving bullies. This is a great introduction to crime fiction, allowing its reader to 'join the dots' as the story unfolds. While the main focus of this story is the detective skills of the amateur sleuthing duo, the themes of family, friendship, loss and issues surrounding mental health are woven neatly through the story. And while these are intrinsic elements to the story, O’Flynn approaches these with the lightest of touches appropriate to the age range of the intended reader.
O’Flynn has created some great side characters from antique loving grandmothers to egotistical TV antique dealers which add a sense of fun to the story. This is an enjoyable read and one that would be perfect read aloud to a class, or just curled up on the sofa on a wet Saturday, or in the garden on a sunny Wednesday.

A brilliant story that I thoroughly enjoyed. Excellent plot and character development, a lot of humour and a good story.
It's highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I was so hooked reading this fantastic second novel that it made me want to join Max and Lori’s detective agency. A brilliant detective book for any budding junior aged detective out there. I will certainly be recommending both books to my class.

I was really looking forward to this book after I enjoyed Lori and Max so much! Growing up on Nancy Drew, I have such a soft spot for clever girl detectives! This story is just as exciting as the first, full of mystery, intrigue, deception and cover-ups!

Lori is still doing her regular surveillance. Her keen observation skills point out so many of the usual, funny, day-to-day occurrences in Year 6. Readers will find themselves smiling and laughing out loud as they read.

Max loves her dog, Fang, and is thrilled when her mum gives her a phone. Everything is going well until Max finds out they have to move to a new flat and Fang can’t go with them. Then her phone goes missing and it seems like life is falling apart.

With multiple mysteries to solve, the girls launch themselves into an undercover plan that is more than a little bit dangerous. Raising issues such as poverty, mental health difficulties, criminal gangs, knife crime and stranger danger, this story deals with real-life situations in an engaging manner. Through pure determination and the power of their friendship, Lori and Max work together to do all they can to expose the truth and stand up for what is right.

Add in Lori’s eccentric grandmother, an “Antiques Roadshow” type programme, and some rare book dealers and you have the recipe for a perfect mystery story. With trust and friendship on their side, there is nothing these girls can’t do!

Thank you to Firefly Press for this fantastic mystery!

I must declare myself a huge fan of Catherine O’Flynn’s work (I can highly recommend her adult books) and also of middle grade mysteries despite being a middle aged woman.
This book is a complete joy which I read with a smile on my face. Lori and Max are children to whom life has not been kind, yet they show great resilience and approach life with the confidence of children happy to follow their own interests, regardless of what others think. The Book Thieves is the second story featuring Lori and Max but can be read as a stand alone although I can recommend the first book too.
Catherine presents serious themes of child criminal exploitation, grief and the insecurity of poverty with a lightness of touch in a ‘show, don’t tell’ approach, wrapped up in a well paced plot. Lori narrates some of the story, and her observations as a detective are often very funny. There are lots of enjoyable characters from the multicultural community, with Catherine using her inside knowledge of sweet shops and loyalty cards to good effect. The reader can feel secure in the knowledge that all will come right at the end so there is satisfying sense of justice being done. I do hope we get to read more of Lori and Max’s adventures.

This is a lovely story, witty, well written and fun. Both of my children, and I, loved it. The story was clever and fast paced.It held our attention right up until the very end.

With thank to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book with my son.

We read it together at bedtime which is of course the best time for snuggling with a good book. We have not read the first in the series (we will be fixing this though) but the author gives enough of the back story in this one that it did not matter. This is also a completely new story.

Lori is a wannabe private investigator and along with her best friend Max they try to get to the bottom of what has happened to Max's stolen phone. Lori also discovers a time capsules left to her by her parents. Whilst watching she notices that one of the books in her parents collection is missing. A chance meeting at a car boot sale with her Nan provides a clue as to it's whereabouts.

This is a really great book which my son and I could both enjoy. The plot is just enough that he could follow it and still be surprised along the way. His face when he declared "I knew it!!" was priceless and for me is what reading is all about. He has selected the 4☆ rating.

Lori and Max have a different teacher, newly qualified after working in “the real world”, and a new classmate, Taylor, who lives on the estate where Max and her mum are forced to move – without Max’s beloved dog, Fang, now given a home by Lori’s nan. When Max’s new phone goes missing, Taylor finds himself in trouble and Fang digs up a time capsule from Lori’s parents in the garden, Lori seizes the opportunity to use her private investigator’s skills, alongside Max who is determined to see justice prevail.
Max and Lori are very different but thoroughly engaging characters whose friendship drives the narrative and intensifies the message that it is okay to be yourself and to have interests that differ from those of your peers. There is adventure, mystery, humour and a clear sense of social justice in this novel. I enjoyed spending time in the company of Lori and Max and their warm-hearted, well-intentioned families and I hope there will be more books about them in future.

A lovely novel that will get children thinking. Definitely would be great for Middle grade pupils and I will be recommending!

Stolen phones and buried lunchboxes lead detectives Lori and Max on their next adventure. Catherine O’Flynn once again succeeds in entertaining us whole heartedly with her witty lines and comic turn of phrase. Illustrations are delightful and her imagination is truly wonderful. My children really enjoyed this story and I know my class will too.

I read the first book in this series a few months ago, but I had already forgotten how much I loved Lori! She's such a vivid, imaginative character and it's so much fun to see the world from her perspective.

After the successful rescue of her best friend Max, trainee detective Lori is on the hunt for another mystery to solve. When Max's phone is stolen and a time capsule reveals that a priceless novel is missing from her bookcase, Lori soon finds herself on the trail of not one thief, but two.

On the surface, Lori and Max feels light a light-hearted, fun mystery, but it contains a lot of serious undertones - children living in poverty, bereavement, bullying, and even how educational cuts are leading to school closures. This is a detective series which lots of children will see their own lives reflected in, and it would also be a good conversation starter for many difficult subjects, especially in a classroom setting.

Lori and Max have a brilliant friendship and I loved the addition of Taylor to their gang. Lori's nan is as eccentric and fun as the last story. I really hope there is more to come from this detective duo and their friends.

A very good detective story, realistic, heartfelt with a quirky twist. Features children with different social backgrounds. That makes for some interesting humour whilst instilling a good feel factor at the end. A book you might want to track down.