COSY crime just got a lot cosier with the news that Little Miss Marple and Mr Poirot have landed in the world of the Misterland children’s books.
And there the famous literary detectives are on hand to help pals such as Reverend Muddle and Little Miss Chatterbox solve mysteries — but no murders, of course — in the colourful universe of the Mr Men and Little Miss characters.
It’s the first time the series has featured a literary character — and the first time Agatha Christie’s crime novels have been adapted for children.
So to celebrate, we’ve got five sets of the new books to win, signed by Mr Men Little Miss author and illustrator Adam Hargreaves and James Prichard, Agatha Christie’s great-grandson.
In Little Miss Marple: Muddle At The Vicarage, the Christie sleuth lives in St Mary Mead, where she counts Mr Nosey and Little Miss Chatterbox among her pals.
When Reverend Muddle suspects there’s been a theft at the vicarage, Little Miss Marple is sure she can help Inspector Nonsense and Constable Silly uncover the truth.
Meanwhile, in Mr Poirot: Mischief On The Nile, the detective is on a river cruise when he meets his friend Colonel Rush, who travels the world pursuing criminals.
Soon enough there’s a mystery to solve — but you’ll have to read it to find out.
Two more books are due out next year — which marks 50 years since Christie’s death, with celebrations of the writer’s legacy planned for throughout the year. In total, the legendary author has racked up a jaw-dropping 2billion book sales — making her the world’s best-selling novelist to date.
But it’s not just Christie pulling in the fans. The Mr Men and Little Miss series has sold more than 250million books across 28 countries and has been translated into 17 languages since they first went on sale in 1971, written and illustrated by Adam’s late father Roger Hargreaves.
Now Adam is carrying on his dad’s legacy, writing and illustrating new Mr Men and Little Miss stories. The saga began when Adam was a child and asked his father what a tickle looked like.
So Roger drew a small orange man with extraordinarily long arms that could reach anywhere and tickle anyone.
Mr Tickle was born — and Mr Greedy, Mr Happy, Mr Nosey, Mr Sneeze and Mr Bump soon followed, making the books an instant hit.
l Little Miss Marple: Muddle At The Vicarage and Mr Poirot: Mischief On The Nile are out now, published by Farshore in hardback for £9.99 each, for readers of all ages.
WIN A COPY OF THE NEW BOOKS
We have five sets of the new books to give away – signed by Adam Hargreaves and James Prichard.
