Superquesters: The Case Of The Missing Memory

April 2023 Book of the Month | Shortlisted for the Week Junior Book Awards 2023

What a super idea this book is. The promotion of STEM in schools has been a popular topic for a number of years, but to have such a fun and interactive approach for young children is an inspired idea.

This story, the second in the series, is about three superheroes, Lilli, Leo and Bea. They have their own problem to solve in the real world, that of a non-functioning toy robot, but they also have to solve the mystery of the missing memory in the magical land of Questland.

The book is then divided into quests, rather than chapters. Each quest is a different problem that needs fixing – lack lustre stars, confused birds and forgotten recipes to name just three. For each quest, the reader must complete a challenge using reusable stickers at the back of the book.

Each quest cleverly covers an aspect of STEM, coding, problem solving, sorting, spatial awareness and other thinking skills. The bright, colourful pages, with illustrations by Amy Willcox, make each quest a fun yet educational challenge.

The book is aimed at children from 4-8. Whilst the age-appropriate story and colourful stickers would appeal to a 4-year-old, and a story they would enjoy having read to them, I think the 6–8-year-olds would have more fun and success with the quests and final outcome of the story.

I notice there is also additional support material, lesson plans and classroom guides, making this interactive book an even more invaluable resource. Reading the covering letter, I imagine there might be a few more of these books to come which would be fabulous.