The Great Cake Mystery: Precious Ramotswe's Very First Case Audiobook By Alexander McCall Smith cover art

The Great Cake Mystery: Precious Ramotswe's Very First Case

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The Great Cake Mystery: Precious Ramotswe's Very First Case

By: Alexander McCall Smith
Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh
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The number one Ladies’ Detective Agency - young listeners.

Fans around the world adore the best-selling number one Ladies’ Detective Agency series, the basis of the HBO TV show, and its proprietor Precious Ramotswe, Botswana’s premier lady detective. In this charming series, MMA Ramotswe navigates her cases and her personal life with wisdom, and good humor - not to mention help from her loyal assistant, Grace Makutsi, and the occasional cup of tea.

Have you ever said to yourself, "wouldn’t it be nice to be a detective"?

This is the story of an African girl who says just that. Her name is Precious.

When a piece of cake goes missing from her classroom, a traditionally built young boy is tagged as the culprit. Precious, however, is not convinced. She sets out to find the real thief. Along the way she learns that your first guess isn’t always right. She also learns how to be a detective.

©2012 Alexander McCall Smith (P)2012 Listening Library Explore the World Fiction Geography & Cultures Growing Up Growing Up & Facts of Life Mystery Mystery & Suspense Social & Life Skills Africa

Critic reviews

“Stunning artwork.... A compelling plot and interesting secondary characters, especially classmates who are quick to make unfounded accusations and their teacher, who provides wisdom just when it is needed, will leave readers wanting more. One case where an adaptation from an adult book is as much fun to read as the original.” ( Kirkus Reviews, starred review)
“A detective is born! What a delightful, breezy read!" (Mary Pope Osborne, bestselling author of the Magic Tree House series)
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Where does The Great Cake Mystery: Precious Ramotswe's Very First Case rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This goes to the top of my list. Was well written and the narration was great too.

What did you like best about this story?

Great way to teach children about behavior.

Which scene was your favorite?

Where the monkies got caught with their paws in the cake.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Any additional comments?

Will relisten to it many times I am sure.

Alexander outdoes himself!!!!

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Love hearing the backstory to Precious Ramotswe! Would make a terrific children’s series! Very well done and felt like I was hearing a story about the childhood of an old friend!

Fabulous Introduction to The Series

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What a delightful short story. This story is aimed at children but adults will enjoy it also. As with all Alexander McCall Smith this story has a moral lesson, I wished more authors would also provide moral and or ethical lessons/problems in their stories. I felt as if I was in Botswana while reading this story, I could almost hear, feel and smell the sounds of the village and school. Adjoa Andoh did a great job narrating the story her accent and rhythm of speaking sounded like the region of Africa. I have both read and listen to Smith books and because of the difficult words such as the names I would rather listen to the reader roll their R's. Lisette LeCat narrated the other books but I think Andoh sounds younger but the accent is the same. Because this book was for children the reader also slowly did the pronunciation of the names which I thought was great.

The first lession of a detective--Prove your case.

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My 4 and 6 year old daughters loved listening to this book with me! The performance was very well done. We liked the accents and found ourselves giggling throughout the story. It made our long drive much more enjoyable.

Very Fun Book

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Although this story wouldn't hold up to modern standards of what makes a short story great, it is a gem of its own. In this heart warming story, a school girl applies what she knows to solve a small mystery that occurs at her school. I loved the way she stands up for what she believes is right and doesn't fall into the peer-pressure/crowd mentality trap that her classmates do when they single out one child as the "guilty" one without having substantial evidence. A cultural gem I was glad my children listened to.

The narration is great in terms of accent and reminds me of my time spent in Africa.

A cultural gem I was glad to share with my kids

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Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I'd recommend the paper book. I wouldn't download anything by this narrator again.

What did you like best about this story?

Another sweet story by McCall Smith.

What didn’t you like about Adjoa Andoh’s performance?

When she was narrating the text, she was fine. But when she was narrating the dialog, she got this high-pitched SCREECHY quality to her voice that set my teeth on edge.

Do you think The Great Cake Mystery: Precious Ramotswe's Very First Case needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Oh, I expect the prolific McCall Smith with come out with another one.

Story sweet, narrator like nails on a blackboard

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