Oh, I like this one even better than the first one -- I think because of the animal focus -- ostrich, meerkat, cobra, cow. Also, the meerkat in the school story made me laugh out loud. There's something very comforting and kind about the storytelling -- I feel like it could so quickly go patronizing, but instead it just comes off as admiring and calm and contented. Lovely. ( )

The young Precious Ramotswe, who would grow up to become Botswana's first female detective, returns in this second chapter-book adventure for children, following upon The Great Cake Mystery, in which she confronted her very first case. In this volume, she meets and befriends two new pupils at her school, quickly discovering that Teb and Pontsho, who have been living with their grandparents since their father was killed in a lightning strike, are very poor. When the family cow disappears, this is a real calamity, and Precious quickly steps in to help track down the missing bovine...

Much like its predecessor, The Mystery of Meerkat Hill is a delightful book, featuring a kind, compassionate and quite clever young heroine, and a story that is told with humanity and perceptive sensitivity. I appreciated Precious' awareness that she must respect her friends, and avoiding hurting them through seeming sympathy with their situation. When she sees their house, for instance, she avoids commenting upon how small it is, lest this embarrass or shame her new friends. These are very moral stories, and the narrator often makes moral commentary, but it never feels overdone or preachy - just matter-of-fact in its discussion of an important subject. The accompanying artwork from Iain McIntosh is lovely, and I appreciated the after matter, which includes a section on the geography and people of Botswana, a reader's guide with questions for discussion, and a recipe for fat cakes. Recommended to anyone who enjoyed reading about Precious' first case, to chapter-book readers who enjoy mystery, and to fans of the adult series upon which these children's books are based. ( )

This is a Precious Ramotswe mystery for young Readers .
Precious has two new friends at school, Teb and Pontsho and they have a pet meerkat Kosi that they rescued when it was a baby and cut off from its family. One day when her friend's cow goes missing and Precious must solve the mystery of where the cow is and how they can prove it is theirs to get it back.
Funniest part is when the meerkat runs into the teacher's staff room at school and ends up on the deputy Principals head.
Short ,nicely Illustrated book for children around the age of 8 to 10. Also a nice adult segue from the No 1 Ladies detective agency too. ( )

Summary:
Precious is a young girl living in Botswana. Two new kids are joining her school, they are siblings, a boy and a girl. Their names are Teb and Pontsho. They are a poorer family but Precious does not care, she shows them great kindness and befriends them right away. They take Precious to their house and introduce her to their pet Meerkat that they found on the hill behind their house. The three kids have many adventures with the Meerkat, including tracking Teb and Pontsho's lost cow, that Precious uses her detective skills to find.
Comments:
This Early chapter book is great to have in the classroom because it has many curriculum connections. Like Geography, teachers could use this book to teach their students about Botswana and Africa, the back of the book has many facts/vocabulary about Botswana. Also a curriculum connection of science/biology. Teachers could use the book to interest their students in learning about the Meerkat and other wildlife in Africa. I also really enjoyed that in the back of the book were discussion questions that a teacher could use after they read the book as a class. ( )

Precious wants to be a detective when she grows up. She is always practicing at being a detective by asking questions and finding out about other people’s lives. There are two new students in her class, a girl called Teb and a boy called Pontsho. She learns that they are brother and sister, and—even more exciting—that Pontsho has a clever pet meerkat named Kosi.

One day, Teb and Pontsho’s family’s cow disappears. Precious helps them look for clues to find the cow. But getting the cow back home will require some quick thinking and help from an unexpected source.