Mizzy is almost 13 years old. She loves what a lot of others her age do. She has Down syndome, so life is more challenging. I love her personality and how observant she is about the world around her.

The book is very visual and the pacing is perfect. I was as excited as she was about the mysteries she wanted to solve.

The story and plot is also very immersive.

Poppy, the narrator, who also has Down syndrome, really brings Mizzy, who is already a well developed character, to life. I like the way that both Mizzy and Poppy have it. It makes the book even more inclusive.

I myself have disabilities (Cerebral Palsy and Hydrocephalus as well as visual disabilities and I am a wheelchair user), and I know how mean other kids, and adults can be and what it's like to feel misunderstood. Mizzy's condition is written about in such a sensitive, yet honest, way. That's something I really value.

A Skeleton in the Closet (Mizzy Mysteries #1) is such a great book and I'd recommend it to everyone, children and adults.

I wish it were around when I was growing up. I can't wait for the next book.

Thanks to Claire Hatcher-Smith and Farshore for my audiobook in exxchange for an honest and vluntary review.

5 stars

Mizzy has dreams of being a detective. Yes, she has Down syndrome; yes, she is scared of escalators and swimming; but, she knows when there is a mystery afoot. When she stumbles upon her Great Aunt's missing diaries, she senses that her aunt was murdered - and by someone in her family.

I thought this was a really cute kids' mystery. I really liked that the narrator for the audiobook was intentionally chosen to be someone with Down syndrome to best represent Mizzy and her story. All of her great personality shown through. It seems like this could be the first in a new series, so it will be fun to see where Mizzy's stomach fizzies (how she knows a mystery is happening) take her next!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A clever mystery with multiple twists and setbacks. I was really rooting for Mizzy the Marvellous to solve it and felt her anguish with every set back.
The narration is quite slow and I tend to like it faster so I had to go to x2 but it was fine like that.

I loved listening to this audiobook about an almost 13 year old girl, Mizzy, with Down's Syndrome who loves solving mysteries. She is constantly in search of mysteries but always ends up jumping to conclusions which unfortunately leads to some embarrassing moments. When Mizzy visits her aunt's home during her vacation, she finds that both her cousins have grown up and they are no longer interested in the games that they used to play in the previous summers. To add more misery, Mizzy's old room is now occupied by her uncle David and Mizzy is given an old, stuffy attic room. But things taken an interesting turn, when she finds her great aunt Jane's missing and crumbling diaries all locked inside a wardrobe and the key hidden. The last few pages of the diary are torn just when aunt Jane was about to reveal some terrible secret. Can this be the start of a new mystery? One that only Mizzy can solve?

The narrator in the audiobook also has Down's syndrome, so that brought Mizzy's character alive in the story. I cannot wait to see what adventure Mizzy will be up to in the next book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a copy of this book.

This is a story about a young girl, Mizzy, who has Down's Syndrome. The audiobook is narrated by someone with Down's Syndrome for authenticity. I thought that the narrator did a fantastic job and she was clear and easy to follow, but I found the staccato nature of her speech pattern very distracting and she spoke slowly, so I found myself hitting the speed button on the story to find an acceptable pace.

The story itself is a murder mystery, but it was 20% into the story before it got going. I understand that the author needs to explain her character's backstory, particularly as there is the neurodiversity to account for; however, I did find it difficult to stay focused while listening, and I am not sure that would have been any different if I had been reading a printed version.

Once the story gets going, it has an exciting plot, but it took too long. Mizzy felt authentic and I love the references to 'fizzing' in the tummy to describe uncertainty. As in any good murder mystery, Mizzy leaps to conclusions and makes some errors during her investigation.

This is a sweet tale but I do wonder how many children would stick with it as the pace is slow and gentle.

This is a book that NEEDS listening to! I don't think I've ever had a more impactful audiobook, and I listen to a lot of books!

The thing about this book is that Mizzy has Down's Syndrome and in the printed book version, I think that'll get lost after the first couple of chapters. In this audio version, the narrator also has Down's Syndrome, so you never lose sight of it and really it's a big part of the plot.

Mizzy wants to be a detective. She's also (like most 12yo) desperate to grow up. Her summer is NOT going to plan. In fact, the further into the summer we get, the worse things become. There are laugh-out-loud moments and "Nooooooo" moments.

Poppy Mae Barrett really brings Mizzy to life and I can't wait to see if there will be more.