Yes, yes I know it- bad pun but I couldn't help it. 

I am so very excited to share with you one of the selections for the Curiosity Club this month.

This book has everything. Set in California's Big Sur, the setting is picturesque, the characters strong and engaging and the story is full of adventure.

Get ready for mystery, feathers, and sprinkles. 

The book I am referring to is "Owl's Outstanding Donuts" by Robin Yardi. 

Image: Front cover of "Owls Outstanding Donuts" by Robin Yardi

After Mattie Waters loses her mother, she goes to live with her aunt, the owner of a roadside donut shop in Big Sur, California. When an owl taps on Mattie's window one night, Mattie looks out to see suspicious activity taking place nearby. With help from her friends and from Alfred, a stuffy but good-hearted owl. Mattie sets out to find the culprits, facing fears that have followed her since her mother passed away.

 This book is a lot of fun. The story has an environmental mystery at its heart. Mattie must discover who is polluting the land near her Aunt's donut shop. She can only do this with the help of Alfred the owl. In this way, both humans and animals must work together to save the ecosystem and the natural beauty of the land around them. 

Mattie is a loveable character and Alfred the owl provides a level of humour to the story. He has a true love of donuts and a distaste for humans. He only works with Mattie to save the world he lives in yet in the end they form a close bond.

 I enjoyed this story immensely. There is a lovely lesson in environmentalism, friendship, loyalty, family, and fighting for what you believe in. 

Here's what others thought of the novel

"Doughn't miss this earnest tale" - Kirkus Reviews 

"With an owl who likes strawberry iced doughnuts, an environmental crime, and a family business at stake, Robin Yardi has crafted a sweet mystery about the power of friendship and facing one's fears." - Jacqueline K. Ogburn, author of The Unicorn in the Barn

Robin Yardi is an American author whose previous novel "The Midnight War of Mateo Martinez" was listed by the New York Public Library as one of the best books for kids in 2016. 

"Owls Outstanding Donuts" is only available with July Curiosity Club (9+) subscriptions for two or three books. 

I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did. 

 Happy reading,

Anna