Bee is the best kind of character to read about; the sort of girl detective that most girls have dreamed of being at one point or another. She is quirky enough to make this seem cool; so clumsy that readers can’t help but like her. A Pocketful of Eyes is like a game of Cluedo brought to life with twenty-first century characters. Lili Wilkinson has spent a great deal of time working with young adults and young adult books, and her knowledge of and passion for the genre is clear in her work.

Matching the lively tone of the text are the various characters: Bee; Toby, the love interest with something to hide; The Celestial Badger. Bee’s mother’s new boyfriend, not a real badger, but definitely a nerd; Adrian Featherstone, museum worker and generally not a nice guy; and William Cranston, mysterious benefactor of the museum, who, Bee suspects, knows more than he is letting on. Although they are all incredibly imagined and hugely entertaining, Lili Wilkinson never loses touch with reality as she ties the characters and the threads of mystery deftly together.

As always, Lili Wilkinson has written the kind of book that many readers will want to read. With characters that tread lightly between the funny and the bizarre, A Pocketful of Eyes is fun, entertaining, and in touch with its audience.