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Mystery buffs--and newcomers to the genre--will devour Hale's funny chapter books, which feature hotshot detective Chet Gecko and his brainy sidekick, Natalie Attired. In The Chameleon, Chet and Natalie track down a cheerleader's missing brother. Mr. Nice pits the duo against hoodlums who intend to turn a school into a training ground for young criminals. Hale's illustrations take the humor up yet another notch.
Kirkus ReviewsGreen-scaled gumshoe Chet Gecko hits his stride in this hard-boiled follow-up to The Chameleon Wore Chartreuse (p. 475). What with a plug-ugly new janitor, new Assistant Principal Clint Squint's "PEN [sic] STATE" tattoo and a formerly sourpuss Principal Zero suddenly turned eerily sweet-tempered, there is definitely something rotten at Emerson Hickey Elementary School. Leave it to Chet, his mockingbird sidekick Natalie Attired, and little Popper, a tree frog schoolmate on hyperdrive, to dig up the dirt: the real Principal Zero has been kidnapped by thugs who plan to smooth-talk the PTA into turning Emerson Hickey into a vocational school—for young crooks. Hale throws in wisecracks by the handful, terrible jokes ("Why was the tuna so sad when he lost his wife? He lobster and couldn't flounder! Ha ha!"), and daffy clues, tucks in an occasional broadly comic pen-and-ink sketch of his trenchcoat-clad shamus and associates, and brings the pot, er, plot, to a boil at a raucous PTA meeting that sees the crooks nabbed in the nick. Hold on to your fedoras: this gecko's going places. (Fiction. 8-10)
Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023). Fourth-grade gumshoe Chet Gecko and his smart sidekick, Natalie Attired, search for a missing chameleon in the first whodunit, and follow up their suspicions that the principal is up to something in the second. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">PW said, "Beginning readers especially will appreciate the offbeat, likable cast and quirky comedy." Ages 8-12. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Apr.)
School Library JournalGr 4-6-Humor is the outstanding element of this fast-paced mystery set in an elementary school. Chet Gecko is a sleuth who also deems himself to be an artist. He is caught drawing in class and is sent to the principal's office for discipline. However, something is strange about Mr. Zero's behavior. Chet and his sidekick Natalie, a mockingbird, soon discover that he is an impostor who is plotting to turn Emerson Hicky Elementary into a vocational school for crime. Ultimately, the young detective and his friends save the day. Told from Chet's point of view, the story is filled with corny jokes, clever wordplay, and amusing asides. The action keeps on moving and there is lots of suspense. The droll, black-and-white cartoon drawings add to the fun. A good choice for fans of gumshoe adventures.- Sharon McNeil, Los Angeles County Office of Education Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
Horn Book
Kirkus Reviews
Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)
School Library Journal
Excerpted from The Mystery of Mr. Nice by Bruce Hale
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
Most folks know him as the best lizard detective at Emerson Hicky Elementary, but it's not all knuckles and know-how with Chet Gecko. He's also got his artistic side.
If it wasn't for his art, he might never have been sent to Principal Zero's office, where he stumbled onto the mystery of Mr. Nice. Because whatever you can say about Principal Zero, one thing is certain: He is not nice. Until now.
Chet knows something is wrong with this picture, and he's just the gecko to solve this mystery. After all, who do you think put the art in smart aleck?