The Great Glacier Hotel Heist – at a glance
The School Reading Lists’ five word review: Detectives, investigation, holiday, clues, friendship.
Children’s book title: Watts and Whiskerton: The Great Glacier Hotel Heist (Book 03).
Children’s author: Meg McLaren.
Genre: Children’s fiction.
Published by: Piccadilly Press.
ISBN: 9781800786639.
Recommended for children aged: 5+.
First published: Paperback February 2026.
This children’s book is ideal for: Introducing younger readers to books with chapters and a puzzle to solve as well as following characters through a series of books. There are plenty of illustrations to help reintroduce the main characters.
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Our review:
Watts and Pearl Whiskerton have finally found time for a joint family holiday after their recent successful investigations; however it doesn’t turn out quite as they’d planned! Staying at the Great Glacier Hotel means there is lots to do and see, which, after Whiskerton hurts her paw, is a good thing as she’s now confined to the hotel. Soon, she is chatting to the other guests and taking notes about everything, hoping to discover a mystery to solve.
Watts is disappointed to discover his parents are actually on a working holiday, and is then horrified when they become the prime suspects after the jewels they were guarding are stolen! Determined to clear their names and protect their reputations, the younger investigating duo begin searching for clues. Cut off by heavy snow, can they also recover the stolen jewels and find a very important guest who has gone missing before the snow melts, the guests and suspects leave the hotel, and the necklace goes with one of them?
Our verdict:
The third book in this fun series for confident younger readers once again features Watts and Whiskerton, who have become successful investigators just like Watts’s parents. The illustrations help to point readers in the direction of the clues needed to find the jewellery and the missing person, while crossing suspects off their list as they go.
This is a very gentle introduction to an ever-popular genre of books which could very well introduce readers to a lifetime of enjoying crime fiction in all its different forms. The characters are cosy, friendly, and familiar animals, who will be loved by younger readers whether they listen as a class or enjoy reading this themselves as a step up from simpler books in this age range. It should prove to be a satisfying and encouraging read for children confident in their own abilities, but would maybe be better suited to 6+ year olds for individual reading.
Teaching points and book club discussion ideas:
- Watts and Whiskerton are on holiday in a very cold, snowy place. If you were going too, what items would you add to those shown at the beginning of the book?
- Both Watts and Pearl are described at the start of the story. Draw a self-portrait in the middle of the page and then put some facts about yourself around the edge. If you were an investigator, what extra facts would you need to add?
- The lift operator, Seymour, thinks Watts is a waiter because he wears a bow tie! What simple disguise could Whiskerton have used if she’d needed to go undercover?
- There were some parts of the holiday resort which were dangerous because of the weather. In a cross-curricular activity with art, design a poster that the hotel could put up to warn their guests.
Many thanks to Piccadilly Press for the review copy.
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