Gr 1-3-- Nate the Great and his faithful dog Sludge solve yet another mystery. This time the wily detectives accept the case of a missing cat on Halloween eve. It seems that Rosamond's cat, Little Hex, has disappeared. Little Hex hates Halloween and likes to hide until all the tricking and treating are over, but this time Rosamond fears that Little Hex may really be lost. Nate investigates, making his usual pithy observations along the way. His inquiry even takes him to a ramshackle old house that may be haunted. But the obvious clues lead nowhere. The detectives are stumped until they brainstorm over their favorite snacks: pancakes for Nate and a bone for Sludge. Once again Nate's keen powers of observation and deductive reasoning save the day. Simont's familiar illustrations are appropriately dark for this All Hallows mystery. All the regulars are back in Nate's latest mystery, and as fresh as ever. Readers will still marvel at Nate's brains, ingenuity, and his undying devotion to pancakes. Sharmat makes beginning to read a pleasure. --Denia Lewis Hester, Chicago Pub . Lib .