Hilarious & Charming: Read an Extract from What Rhymes with Murder? by Penny Tangey

Hilarious & Charming: Read an Extract from What Rhymes with Murder? by Penny Tangey

1. What Rhymes With Babies?

I stare at a flight of concrete stairs, bewildered. Squeezing the rubber grip on the pram’s handle, I check the sign in the library lobby again. It still shows an arrow pointing up, with the words: 10 am baby rhyme time upstairs. I’d assumed the session would be in the children’s section, on the ground floor, though I suppose that would disrupt the other patrons. But how am I supposed to get a pram upstairs?

I swivel the pram to the left, and then to the right, then rock it back and forth. I feel like a failure, and I blame Ben. When he asked about my plans for this morning, I said I didn’t have any. Ben pointed at my three goals, printed out and stuck to the fridge. I used the Comic Sans font to keep it light with a hint of self- aware irony:

1. Go out every day

2. Read

3. Exercise twice a week

‘I’m just saying,’ Ben said, without having said anything at all.

‘It’s too cold outside for Finn.’

‘We’re in Melbourne. It’s never too cold.’

Ben grew up in Tasmania, and you can tell.

‘There’s nothing to do out there,’ I said. ‘Babies don’t actually like anything.’

Ben responded with a series of suggestions that I rejected with excellent reasons: ‘Too far. Sounds horrific. Only for toddlers.’

Finally, spotting the library flier on the fridge, Ben said, ‘Baby Rhyme Time. Wednesday, ten am, East Melbourne Library.’

I couldn’t argue with that. It sounded perfect. Until now. I’m so close, but the stairs make it seem so far. I should quit and go home. It would be a relief, although also depressing that the simplest outing is beyond me.

On the other side of the glass doors a…

Continue reading the extract here.

Buy a copy of What Rhymes with Murder? here.

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12 March 2026

Your Preview Verdict: What Rhymes with Murder? by Penny Tangey

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    12 January 2026

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        Publisher details

        What Rhymes with Murder?
        Author
        Penny Tangey
        Publisher
        Simon and Schuster
        Genre
        Fiction
        Released
        24 February, 2026
        ISBN
        9781761634031

        Synopsis

        When exhausted new mother Frida attends Baby Rhyme Time at the local library, she feels a sense of purpose that has been lacking in her anxious, apartment-bound, sleep-deprived life. But at the end of the session a piercing scream is heard, followed by the thump of a body, and the library becomes a crime scene.

        Before long, Frida finds herself part of an unlikely group of sleuths investigating the murder. Between gossip and cups of magic at their local cafe, they are too busy having fun to realise how close they are to danger . . .

        Penny Tangey
        About the author

        Penny Tangey

        Penny Tangey writes humorous books for young people. Her middle-grade novel As Fast As I Can won the Readings Children’s Book Prize and Queensland Literary Awards Children’s Book Award. She studied arts/science at Melbourne University, majoring in chemistry and Indonesian. Penny has worked as a researcher for television quiz shows Hard Quiz and The Chase, but she’s still terrible at trivia. She is a qualified librarian and wants to drive the mobile library van one day.

        Books by Penny Tangey

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        1. Daniel says:

          This is such a funny and relatable excerpt—many parents can probably picture that exact moment of standing in front of the stairs with a stroller and wondering what to do next. The humor in everyday situations makes the story really engaging and easy to connect with. While exploring similar reading and learning resources online, I recently came across letterbox answer, which also shows how digital tools can support curiosity and problem-solving. It’s great to see how both books and helpful online resources can work together to keep people interested in reading and learning.

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        5. MD-TOOL says:

          Wow, this extract from ‘What Rhymes with Murder?’ by Penny Tangey has me hooked! The opening scene is both hilarious and charming, setting the stage for what looks to be a delightfully quirky read. I love how Tangey captures the confusion and humor in everyday situations. Can’t wait to dive into the full book! Thanks for sharing this preview, Better Reading.https://md-tool.com/