Mish and Mash: Time Travel Treasure by Mark Wilson - REVIEW

Mish and Mash: Time Travel Treasure is a light-hearted children’s story about two best friends solving puzzles (that the reader can solve, too!) in a hunt to find the World’s Best Treasure.

All the best kids’ books start with a pair of too-adventurous-for-their-own-good kids exploring an ever-so-slightly creepy space they probably shouldn’t be in. And this book is no different! Whilst searching for Mish’s oddly missing grandfather in his attic filled with ‘books, bureaus, [and] old swords’, they find ‘a big old-fashioned travel chest’. In that chest are a handful of ambiguous clues to puzzles that don’t seem to exist, a piece of slate, and a riddle that challenges them to travel in time to solve the puzzles and find the World’s Best Treasure.

              But who exactly is the pair set to solve this tricky set of puzzles?

Mish is an academic but not athletic cat. Mash is an athletic but not academic dog. Together, they travel to five different time-periods (Ancient Egypt, the Ice Age, Tudor England, the New World, and the Maya civilisation), chasing the puzzles that will lead them back home and score them the treasure. You make think that sounds like an odd pairing for a couple of best friends, but that is exactly why they work so beautifully! Their strengths are complimentary to one another. When Mish is stumped and stressed, Mash’s determination helps pull her through – and when Mash is confused or over-excited, Mish helps to ground him and help him to understand. Together, Mish and Mash make up for what the other struggles with, and is there for the other no matter what. And isn’t that what friendship is all about?

Amongst Mish’s panic that she cannot immediately solve all the puzzles, Mash reminds her of the one puzzle they can solve there-and-then, the only one that didn’t seem incomplete: a riddle! They write the answer (which the reader can also guess!) onto the slate, and after a brief moment the attic begins to fill with a rainbow of bubbles, and suddenly the pair find themselves in Ancient Egypt. There, they are faced with the Imheptop, vizier to Ramekin The Great, who refuses them an audience with the pharaoh, as the great ruler is too sad. Mish and Mash learn that Ramekin’s daughter is ill, and persuade Imheptop to let them help Ramekin and his daughter – risking being eaten by crocodiles in the process! Together, Mish and Mash figure out how to help Princess Zahra, and for their award they are allowed access to the next puzzle they need to solve.

The book continues like so. Mish and Mash are met with a dilemma to solve, and that dilemma inevitably leads them to the next puzzle, and they continue on their path to find the World’s Best Treasure and make their way back home.

              An absolutely delightful part of this book is that the puzzles aren’t answered for the young reader. Instead, the answers are left blank, leaving kids with the opportunity to figure out the clues themselves. Mish and Mash, in their own brainstorming of the answers, will coax the reader to the correct answer, but Wilson leaves the space for the reader to come up with the answer on their own. This is a fantastic way to encourage engagement and learning in a child’s reading! With each puzzle Mish and Mash solve they are transported in a magical bubble whirlwind to the next time-period and, inevitably, the next puzzle.

              Whilst solving each puzzle, Mish and Mash come across a person (or persons) in need, and every time they waylay their own goals to help out and save the day. And this often leads them closer to the answers they need! And this brings about the key lesson of Wilson’s book: it’s always important to take the time to help others – especially if you want them to help you!

‘“Always be kind, because even the smallest acts of kindness can lead to wonderful things.”’

              Mish and Mash embody the importance of celebrating people for all their talents, because whether they’re sporty, arty, smart, or otherwise, all people are equally vital. Time and again Wilson shows the reader that Mish and Mash are, despite their differences, needed as much as the other to solve the puzzles, continuously reinforcing one important message to young kids: no matter who you are and what you can do, you are important and deserve to be celebrated.

              And that is what every child deserves to hear.

              Mish and Mash: Time Travel Treasure, is perfect for the child that loves to read, learn, and experiment. It is perfect for the child that loves adventure, whimsy, and a challenge. It is perfect for the child who doesn’t often get to see themselves celebrated in a book, because they think differently.

              If I got sent back in time to solve a bunch of mysterious puzzles, I know which cat-dog duo I’d want by my side!

              Mish and Mash: Time Travel Treasure is available to purchase here on Amazon.