The possum always rings twice : from the tattered casebook of Chet Gecko, private eye

Get ready for muckraking time at Emerson Hicky Elementary. The race is on for student council president, but it's quickly getting fishier than the bottom of a pelican's lunch box. Someone is sending candidates ominous threats and posting signs with messages like FIR IS FIRST! and DOWN WITH FEATHERS. Could someone be trying to rig the election? Good thing Chet and Natalie are around to expose the filthy frauds!

This is the eleventh book in the Chet Gecko series.

Meredith Kiger, Ph.D. - Children's Literature

This book is seventh in the "Chet Cecko Mystery" series featuring the urbane private eye, Chet Gecko. The stories are written by an author who obviously watched way too many movies and TV as a child and whose view of life remains solidly in the sixth grade. Chet is a student' at Hicky Elementary. He and his sidekick, Natalie Attired, a smart mouthed Mockingbird, are self proclaimed detectives, of sorts. All students at the elementary school are animals of some kind and appropriately named to suit their personalities. Viola Fuss, a sandpiper, has approached Chet and Natalie to find out who is trying to usurp her campaign for student council president. She's the odds-on favorite to win, but someone has sent her a threatening note to try and scare her away from running. Chet's task is to find out who is behind this. Young readers will recognize each cleverly crafted character in the story as similar to ones in their own school, but the tongue-in-cheek humor of the text may be too sophisticated for some this age to fully appreciate. Great for read aloud; the teacher will be entertained, as well. 2006, Harcourt, Ages 7 to 9.

Chet Gecko and his partner, Natalie Attired, try to find out who is sending threatening notes to Viola Fuss, candidate for student council president at Emerson Hickey Elementary School.