The hamster of the Baskervilles [bk. 5] : from the tattered casebook of Chet Gecko, private eye

“Fourth-grade gumshoe Chet Gecko takes on his most baffling case yet . . . Clever, good fun” from the author of The Big Nap and the Clark the Shark books” ( Kirkus Reviews ). Chet Gecko doesn’t believe in the supernatural. His idea of voodoo is his mom’s cockroach ripple ice cream. But when a teacher reports seeing a monster by the light of a full moon, it falls to Chet and his sleek-winged partner, Natalie Attired, to answer the burning question: Is this the work of a vicious, supernatural werehamster on the loose? Or just another science fair project gone wrong? “The zany text reads like a mixture of stand-up comedy, Raymond Chandler mysteries, old films, and a fourth grader on an overdose of sugar.”— School Library Journal The Chet Gecko Mysteries are . . . “Zesty and entertaining.”— The Bulletin “Fodder for budding criminologists and stand-up comedians . . . Sassy.”— School Library Journal “A choice series for reluctant readers.”— Booklist

Chet's two scariest, silliest cases--now in paperback!

Children's Literature

Another pun-filled Chet Gecko mystery finds our hero stalking the culprit who trashed Mr. Ratnose's classroom. His reward, if successful, will be two get-out-of-detention-free passes and a box of jelly doughnuts, high stakes for the ever-hungry Chet. Soon a second mystery presents itself, as one of the teachers believes she saw a werewolf, or at least a were-hamster. Are the two conundrums related? On the way to solving the mysteries, Chet and his mockingbird sidekick, Natalie Attired, tangle with the tough-guy gang at school and try to complete their Science Fair project. Actually, Chet tries to dodge any involvement in schoolwork, if at all possible. Written in the style of a hard-boiled detective novel but laced with groaners and side-splitting puns, the book is a delight for adults as well as children. Even the chapter headings are funny, from Hairy Plotter to Ferret Faucet. Pencil illustrations are sprinkled throughout. 2002, Harcourt, Judy Rowen

Something Is Trashing The Classrooms At Emerson Hicky Elementary School, And Sixth-grade Private Eye Chet Gecko Sets Out To Find The Creature That Is Responsible. Something is trashing the classrooms at Emerson Hicky Elementary School, and sixth-grade private eye Chet Gecko sets out to find the creature who's responsible "Some Mondays drag in like a wet dog, dripping puddles of gloom and trailing a funky stink."