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Meet the Maliks, Twin Detectives The Cookie Culprit

Name: Meet the Maliks, Twin Detectives The Cookie Culprit
Rating: 5 (1 reviews)

by Zanib Mian, illustrated by Kyan Cheng

Interest age: 6 to 7
Reading age: 7+

Published by Hodder Children’s Books, 2023

Chapter books
Funny

About this book

Maysa and Musa are twins but they’re total opposites. Things always seem to happen to Maysa and she often gets in trouble, whereas Musa is calm and unflappable. Even when fasting for Ramadan! But when the cookies they’ve made for a competition at their mosque are destroyed, the twins team up to find the culprit. Meanwhile, a small lie Maysa told at school is spiralling out of control – and her dad is affected. What can she do to put things right?

This is the first in another funny series for developing readers from the author of Planet Omar. Once again, Zanib Mian engagingly portrays an everyday family with wit and empathy. Short chapters and lots of brilliant illustrations by Kyan Cheng means it doesn’t feel offputtingly text-heavy. Young readers will find Maysa’s frustrations and moral dilemmas very relatable, and there are some laugh-out-loud moments to keep them turning the pages. Fans of Planet Omar will also enjoy this series.

About the author

Zanib Mian fell in love with writing at primary school. After studying molecular cell biology at University College London, she taught science in secondary school before deciding to move into children’s publishing. Zanib felt that characters from all minorities were missing from books for young children and launched Sweet Apple Publishers with a clear commitment to publishing inclusive books.

Her books include Oddsockosaurus and The Robot That Said Moo. They have featured on the BBC’s CBeebies Bedtime Stories show and in the Guardian for their contribution to diverse children’s literature. The Muslims won the 2018 Little Rebels Award and was longlisted for the 2018 UKLA Book Awards. She has also been nominated for the 2019 Carnegie Medal. Zanib lives in Wembley, London.

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