Review
Starr, the intelligent, trendy detective is back on the scene again to guide us through yet another compelling mystery. We return to our favourite 11-year-old heroine and her best friend Grace with some recognisable older characters such as her aptly named mother `The Sergeant', who storms Grace about in a comedic fashion to follow a theatrical career once more, and `Sean' the very tall, very lively and very lovable man who acted as their previous chaperone in the first book.
Not only are we entertained by the appearance of the personas we grew so fond of in the previous and first book of the series `The Missing Extra', but we also come across some interesting new faces as well. The two mischievous twins Lola and Tallulah provide a humerous addition to the story, and Julie the script-writer creates an ideal damsel in distress, with perhaps less of the wailing and more of the down to earth conversation.
Starr and Grace begin this story as they work on the sequel to Starr's debut film `The Secret', with the introduction of their new and rather intimidating chaperone, or rather as she is later nicknamed `The Sergeant II'. A break comes up as their film crew fly off to India to shoot some crowd scenes, so Starr and Grace are left with a lot of free time, and so a lot of time to get themselves into another heap of trouble.
As we are lead through the tense rush to discover the culprit of a stolen script in time before it's too late, the reader is entertained with many diverse situations, from Grace and Starr discovering a body in a freezer, to being forced to walk the diving board on a swimming pool, fully dressed, tied and gagged by two 8-year-olds.
With an intriguing beginning and a satisfying conclusion leaving us waiting on edge for more, this book reminds young readers why even at the young age of 11, you can achieve anything if you really try, and judging by the lengths Starr and Grace went to discover the true culprit, the trying is an essential component.
Well written, and an easy read, I enjoyed this book even though my age exceeds 11, and I would definitely recommend it to any young person aspiring to great things! -- Helen Potter Age 15
About the Author
Jacky Rom Biog
Jacky grew up in Romford Essex; she trained as a Hairdresser/ Makeup artiste and tried to full fill one of her first dreams of becoming a Director.
As a innocent 16 year old she went along to her careers advisor at school and told them she wanted to be a director and suggested to the advisor that she went to the "London College of Fashion" to train as a Makeup Artiste and then once she was on a film set she would make her way to becoming a Director.
(The innocent dreaming of a young girl)
The Careers advisor told her to forget her dream; she would never get into the prestigious "London College of Fashion" and certainly never become a director.
That was all the incentive she needed. Now she had to prove them wrong.
Jacky did go to the college and at the same time she became a Drama teacher.
Jacky wrote her first play when she was only 17 and has written and directed many Plays over the years. She spent many years in TV and film Studios with her own up and coming actors and it was only just over a year ago she decided to write her first book.
The Missing Extra, takes place in Pinewood Studios a studio Complex that Jacky has been to many times. Lots of her characters are taken from real life experiences of people she has met along the way.
In 2008 Jacky turned 50 and decided to take a month off from work and go and stay in the Caribbean. "But" she thought to herself "What was she going to do for a whole month". That when she came up with the idea of writing book. That dream turned into a series of 5 books all about the adventures of an 11 yr old detective.
Jacky has now written 3 of the 5 books and she is enjoying every minute of the process.
