Millie & the Lost Key - Millie Was Here, Book Two Review

Millie & the Lost Key - Millie Was Here, Book Two is the latest installment in the “Millie Was Here” series of apps about a lovable dog and her larger-than-life adventures, here looking for the lost key - a key to endless bacon, that is.

As one may have read from an earlier review of mine, I am a fan of the “Millie Was Here” series, having enjoyed the first app, Book One: Meet Millie. Many of the elements that make Meet Millie such a fabulous experience are found throughout these pages as well. Although one could read this book on his own, most will not be able to resist such fabulous, pitch-perfect narration that is included within these series as this narrator sounds so very rich and resonating, adding fun drama to this fun and whimsical app.

In reality, this is a story about a day in the life of little dog Millie as she goes on a walk in New York City’s Central Park, but here this simple act takes on a world of its own

Whereas Book One - Millie Was Here - contained a wondrous carnival tone, Book Two contains a fun and creative adventure theme, with cute details included such as styling Millie like Indiana Jones, complete with brown leather hat and satchel as well as transforming the bag in which Millie is being carried into a period airplane, adding vintage feel to this story as well as setting the stage for a fun, flying interaction.

I love these apps for how they bring such creativity to everyday activities, much like the mind of a child would. A walk through Central Park turns into a journey through a mysterious and dangerous jungle island, complete with pop-up areas to investigate. This adventure continues as Millie takes a ride in a rowboat that one can rent in order to explore the park’s lake, full of pirates, piranhas, and other “scary stuff.” I especially like Millie's ride on the park's carousel as she tries to outrun pirates, parrots, and piranhas.

I enjoy all the various interactions and mini-games within this app as well as the added fantasy illustrations transposed over the real life photos of Millie. I find it quite charming to be able to see the simple truth behind the wild tales spun by the text and narration, loving this tongue-in-cheek style, but I was confused as to whether or not Millie jumps from the rowboat into the lake as she travels to the cave in this story to look for the key to endless bacon, a little problematic for me as I greatly enjoy seeing what is really happening on Millie’s simple adventure in the park juxtaposed over this dramatic tale, and here ambiguity is not this story's friend.

I also like that Millie’s friendenemy “Kitty” from Book One also shows up in this app, a fun inclusion, especially for those familiar with Book One - Meet Millie. Of course, Millie ends on a positive note and there is a super-cute moral to this story that adults may enjoy more than their children.

All ages will really enjoy this series of “Millie Was Here Apps” as we do. My son loves Millie and all that there is to look at, explore and touch within these apps. They are very well done and include very nice music to listen to. I look forward to seeing new adventures of Millie in the future.