What This Book Is About
Despite the title, Stick is not a stick insect. She is a girl, Sally Stick, and Fetch is her shaggy dog. The two of them are the detectives.
They take on a run of small-town mysteries: whether a beaver is loose in town, who the handbag thief is, and why Uncle Bob's house always smells of biscuits. They blunder their way to the answers. Written by Philip Ardagh, with illustrations by Elissa Elwick, this is the second book in the Stick and Fetch series, after Barking Up the Wrong Tree.
Available at Popular bookstores, Kinokuniya, and the Singapore National Library.
Why We Recommend This Book
For A1-level students (G2), this book is a brilliant entry point into mystery stories—a genre that builds critical thinking naturally.
First, mysteries teach children to read actively. Instead of passively absorbing a story, young readers learn to look for clues, make predictions, and revise their theories—skills that align directly with the inquiry-based learning at UWC's Primary Years Programme.
Second, Philip Ardagh's wordplay is a vocabulary goldmine for EAL learners. Puns and idioms (like "the wrong end of the stick") introduce figurative language in a context where the joke makes the meaning memorable. Children learn English expressions without realising they're learning.
Third, the book's mix of text and illustrations means readers are constantly switching between visual and textual information—a skill that mirrors how information is presented in real-world contexts and international school assessments.
Reading Level Guide
The wordplay may be tricky at Pre-A1. Enjoy the illustrations together with a parent first.
Perfect difficulty. Simple enough to follow the mystery, challenging enough to learn new expressions.
A comfortable, laugh-filled read at A2. The puns land even better at this level.
Other UWC Recommended Books for This Grade
Not sure if this book is right for your child? Take our free English assessment to find their CEFR level, then choose books that match.