Murdle Junior: Curious Crimes for Curious Minds: From the SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING SERIES

I wrapped Murdle Junior: Curious Crimes for Curious Minds for my niece’s twelfth birthday, expecting a quick “thanks” and a place on the shelf. Instead, she vanished into detective mode for the entire afternoon—magnifying glass, notepad, the lot. By cake‑time she’d cracked the first three mysteries and was desperate to recruit us as suspects for number four. What makes this such a winner is the balance between brain‑teasing and kid‑friendly fun. Each case is self‑contained, so you can dip in for a ten‑minute puzzle burst or binge half the book on a rainy Sunday. The clues are clever enough to make a twelve‑year‑old feel truly smart when they connect the dots, yet the solutions never rely on obscure trivia—just observation, logic, and a dash of imagination. The art style is playful rather than spooky; plenty of quirky characters, zero nightmare fuel. As a grown‑up chaperone I appreciated the built‑in hint system at the back: gentle nudges that stop frustration without handing over the answer. It turns the book into a collaborative game you can solve side‑by‑side instead of a solitary read. The physical quality is solid too—thick pages, bold print, and a lay‑flat spine that survives enthusiastic page‑flipping. Bottom line: if you’re looking for a gift that pulls tweens away from screens, sparks critical thinking, and delivers genuine “Aha!” moments, Murdle Junior is a case well worth opening. I’m already on the hook for the second volume before her next birthday.

My 10 year old son received his copy a few days ago and is loving the book, it’s all he’s asking for! It’s lovely to do with a parent but equally as nice for him to start alone. It’s challenging enough without putting him off and keeps him off a screen - win, win!

I am always on the look out for puzzle/activity books to entertain my 8 year old whilst out and about or on holiday. This one intrigued me as was different to the normal word games, find the differences etc. It is cleverly set as a series of stories with clues and evidence and then grids to complete with the details from the text to be able to decipher who, what and where each crime was committed. It is very repetitive but does get more tricky as you work through the book. I think there are 40 in total. It is a kind of mix of English comprehension made more fun along with problem solving skills. The negative is that you can’t just pick it up for 5 mins like you can a normal puzzle book.

The book was in perfect condition, as new, exactly as described. So happy, thank you.

We love this book. Really gets you thinking We have read and done some puzzles as a family

My 9 year old loved these mysteries!

This was a little hard for my 9 yr old to get her head around but once my husband helped her, she really enjoyed it

I cam across these books on amazon, i hadn't seen them before. I bought several of them. Some of the puzzles are quite tricky, but this book has been enjoyed by everyone who has had ago. I purchased both the Junior and the adult versions for different family members. They were in one of the prime deals so worth the money paid.

My 10 year old loved this so much! He immersed himself into it as soon as it arrived. By the next day he had solved all of the puzzles. They are challenging enough to keep them intrigued. Would definitely recommend!

Llego a tiempo, era lo que se suponía y no puedo opinar más porque es un regalo para un niño.

great for kids

It's a good gift for young kids with a curious mind

My 11-year-old son is a huge fan of the original Murdle puzzle books, enjoying both the challenge and the humor. When I saw Murdle Jr., I knew we had to give it a try, and I'm so glad we did! This book hits the sweet spot perfectly for its target audience. He dove right into "Curious Crimes for Curious Minds" and was instantly hooked. The puzzles retain the clever deductive reasoning core of the original Murdle, but are definitely geared appropriately for younger solvers. He found the difficulty level to be "just right" – challenging enough to make him think, but not so hard that he got frustrated. He loves the whole Murdle concept, and this junior version delivered that same fun experience. He was so engaged that he worked his way through the entire book in just a couple of days! For us, that's always a sign of a great puzzle book. It held his attention, provided a satisfying sense of accomplishment with each solved case, and kept him entertained screen-free. If you have a child around 10-12 years old who enjoys logic puzzles, mysteries, or is perhaps curious about the main Murdle books but finds them a bit daunting, Murdle Jr. is an absolutely fantastic introduction. It captures the spirit of the original while being perfectly accessible. Highly recommended!