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Mercy Watson #3
Mercy Watson Fights Crime
Leroy Ninker is a small man with a big dream: he wants to be a cowboy, but for now he’s just a thief. In fact, Leroy is robbing the Watsons’ kitchen right this minute! But little does he know that a certain pig who loves toast with a great deal of butter is stirring from sleep. Even less could he guess that a comedy of errors will soon lead this little man on the wild and raucous rodeo ride he’s always dreamed of! Nosy neighbors, astonished firemen, a puzzled policeman, and the ever-doting Watsons return for a hilarious adventure.
80 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 22, 2006
About the author
Kate DiCamillo
142 books11.4k followersKate DiCamillo, the newly named National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature for 2014–2015, says about stories, “When we read together, we connect. Together, we see the world. Together, we see one another.” Born in Philadelphia, the author lives in Minneapolis, where she faithfully writes two pages a day, five days a week.
Kate DiCamillo's own journey is something of a dream come true. After moving to Minnesota from Florida in her twenties, homesickness and a bitter winter helped inspire Because of Winn-Dixie - her first published novel, which, remarkably, became a runaway bestseller and snapped up a Newbery Honor. "After the Newbery committee called me, I spent the whole day walking into walls," she says. "I was stunned. And very, very happy."
Her second novel, The Tiger Rising, went on to become a National Book Award Finalist. Since then, the master storyteller has written for a wide range of ages, including two comical early-chapter-book series - Mercy Watson, which stars a "porcine wonder" with an obsession for buttered toast, and Bink & Gollie, which celebrates the tall and short of a marvelous friendship - as well as a luminous holiday picture book, Great Joy.
Her latest novel, Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures, won the 2014 Newbery Medal. It was released in fall 2013 to great acclaim, including five starred reviews, and was an instant New York Times bestseller. Flora & Ulysses is a laugh-out-loud story filled with eccentric, endearing characters and featuring an exciting new format - a novel interspersed with comic-style graphic sequences and full-page illustrations, all rendered in black and white by up-and-coming artist K. G. Campbell. It was a 2013 Parents' Choice Gold Award Winner and was chosen by Amazon, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, and Common Sense Media as a Best Book of the Year.
Kate DiCamillo's own journey is something of a dream come true. After moving to Minnesota from Florida in her twenties, homesickness and a bitter winter helped inspire Because of Winn-Dixie - her first published novel, which, remarkably, became a runaway bestseller and snapped up a Newbery Honor. "After the Newbery committee called me, I spent the whole day walking into walls," she says. "I was stunned. And very, very happy."
Her second novel, The Tiger Rising, went on to become a National Book Award Finalist. Since then, the master storyteller has written for a wide range of ages, including two comical early-chapter-book series - Mercy Watson, which stars a "porcine wonder" with an obsession for buttered toast, and Bink & Gollie, which celebrates the tall and short of a marvelous friendship - as well as a luminous holiday picture book, Great Joy.
Her latest novel, Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures, won the 2014 Newbery Medal. It was released in fall 2013 to great acclaim, including five starred reviews, and was an instant New York Times bestseller. Flora & Ulysses is a laugh-out-loud story filled with eccentric, endearing characters and featuring an exciting new format - a novel interspersed with comic-style graphic sequences and full-page illustrations, all rendered in black and white by up-and-coming artist K. G. Campbell. It was a 2013 Parents' Choice Gold Award Winner and was chosen by Amazon, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, and Common Sense Media as a Best Book of the Year.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 386 reviews
March 21, 2018
Another great Mercy Watson tale. How does Mercy catch a bugler? The bugler takes the toaster of coarse and Mercy has to come and investigate the smell. The high energy light story propels you to the end. All the zany characters are back again for this trip and of course everyone at the end has to sit down and have toast together.
This is a great series for kids. I think it's a fun little story too. Easy to read and a good starter book. The kids enjoy this story too.
This is a great series for kids. I think it's a fun little story too. Easy to read and a good starter book. The kids enjoy this story too.
January 3, 2019
Another wonderful addition to the Mercy Watson series. Mercy Watson loves toast as much as ever and her obsession with toast once again leads to a humorous situation on Deckawoo Drive. Mercy foils a burglar in the midst of all of the commotion. Young readers will be challenged, but not overwhelmed by the book text. The charming illustrations by Chris Van Dusen will add clues for decoding the text.
Love all things Kate DiCamillo!
Love all things Kate DiCamillo!
June 6, 2017
It always comes down to buttered toast.
April 3, 2024
I mean how else are you supposed to take care of a thief who is stealing your beloved toaster if you can't sit on him.🤷♀️
July 24, 2019
That buttered-toast-loving pig with a penchant for trouble, Mercy Watson, whose adventures began in
Mercy Watson to the Rescue
and continued in
Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride
, returns for her third adventure in this entertaining chapter-book. Awakened in the middle of the night by the sound of the toaster being moved - surely a sign that toast is being made! - Mercy surprises a pint-sized burglar named Leroy Ninker, who dreams of being a cowboy. Needless to say, Mercy's actions (however inadvertent) save the day...
I enjoyed Mercy Watson Fights Crime quite a bit, finding it (unlike many sequels) every bit as entertaining as its predecessors. Mercy herself is a winsome character who, with her inadvertent and unconscious participation in various human interactions around her, reminds me a bit of Judith Kerr's Mog (of Mog the Forgetful Cat ). Coming from a Mog fan, that is, of course, high praise. With vividly colorful illustrations that add to the fun, an amusing tale of a toast-obsessed pig and a would-be burglar who longs to be a cowboy, and a cast of appealing secondary characters, many of whom appeared in the previous two entries in the series, this third Mercy Watson story is a winner!
I enjoyed Mercy Watson Fights Crime quite a bit, finding it (unlike many sequels) every bit as entertaining as its predecessors. Mercy herself is a winsome character who, with her inadvertent and unconscious participation in various human interactions around her, reminds me a bit of Judith Kerr's Mog (of Mog the Forgetful Cat ). Coming from a Mog fan, that is, of course, high praise. With vividly colorful illustrations that add to the fun, an amusing tale of a toast-obsessed pig and a would-be burglar who longs to be a cowboy, and a cast of appealing secondary characters, many of whom appeared in the previous two entries in the series, this third Mercy Watson story is a winner!
November 10, 2024
Nothing stands in the way of Mercy Watson’s pursuit of hot, buttered toast.
March 3, 2020
My daughter enjoyed this series so much the first time, she brought this one home from her school library. Just as cute the second time!
July 29, 2025
"This book only gets 1 star because I don't like robbers." -Cadee, age 7
July 4, 2024
Mercy wakes in the middle of the night to a noise emanating from downstairs. As she investigates, she encounters a robber stealing the family's household goods. Can the sleepy pig capture a robber?
This is another action-packed story about Mercy Watson and her wild adventures children will enjoy.
This is another action-packed story about Mercy Watson and her wild adventures children will enjoy.
January 6, 2019
This is another fun story about Mercy Watson the pig. It seemed more like the first book (which I liked) in that Mercy is very much a pig with few human attributes or motivations (I wasn't a huge fan of Mercy wanting to drive the car in the last book; that seemed a little too human). In this story, as in the first book, Mercy ends up saving the day simply by being herself.
One night, after she's been tucked into bed, she hears a noise in the kitchen. In her simple little mind, noise in the kitchen means someone's making food. So she goes downstairs to investigate and stumbles across Leroy Ninker, who's trying to steal the toaster. After Mercy realizes nobody's actually making toast, she gets bored and falls asleep, blocking the thief's exit. As he tries to surmount this obstacle, the rest of the book is set in motion and Mercy ends up inadvertently thwarting the robbery.
I'm not quite sure how I feel about Leroy in this book. I first read about him in Leroy Ninker Saddles Up, which comes later in the chronology of these books. At that point, he was already a reformed thief. I'm a little uncomfortable with him being a cute and lovable thief, because I think it runs the risk of glamourizing breaking the law. (However, it's kind of hard to take him that seriously as a burglar, since all he ended up doing was stealing a few kitchen items and then riding the pig around the backyard while imagining himself a real cowboy.)
I enjoyed this installment marginally more than the last one, since it goes back to Mercy doing her thing simply by being a pig. As usual, the writing and illustrations are great. I'm looking forward to getting my hands on the next book, Mercy Watson: Princess in Disguise.
Quotable moment:
One night, after she's been tucked into bed, she hears a noise in the kitchen. In her simple little mind, noise in the kitchen means someone's making food. So she goes downstairs to investigate and stumbles across Leroy Ninker, who's trying to steal the toaster. After Mercy realizes nobody's actually making toast, she gets bored and falls asleep, blocking the thief's exit. As he tries to surmount this obstacle, the rest of the book is set in motion and Mercy ends up inadvertently thwarting the robbery.
I'm not quite sure how I feel about Leroy in this book. I first read about him in Leroy Ninker Saddles Up, which comes later in the chronology of these books. At that point, he was already a reformed thief. I'm a little uncomfortable with him being a cute and lovable thief, because I think it runs the risk of glamourizing breaking the law. (However, it's kind of hard to take him that seriously as a burglar, since all he ended up doing was stealing a few kitchen items and then riding the pig around the backyard while imagining himself a real cowboy.)
I enjoyed this installment marginally more than the last one, since it goes back to Mercy doing her thing simply by being a pig. As usual, the writing and illustrations are great. I'm looking forward to getting my hands on the next book, Mercy Watson: Princess in Disguise.
Quotable moment:
"That pig is disturbing the peace," said Eugenia. "And so is the cowboy riding her. I am calling the police."
"Oh, Sister," said Baby, "are you sure it's not a dream?"
"It's a nightmare," said Eugenia. "That is what it is."
Read
September 29, 2013Ah, Mercy Watson, how my children love thee!
All the Mercy Watson books are perennial favorites around our house and get re-read every few months by both my older girls (ages 6 and 7). This is one series that they can both read themselves, and they are delighted to read them aloud to their little sister. Literarily, the stories are pretty fluffy, but my girls bask in the marshmallowy yumminess. And the pictures, with their fifties retro feel, add greatly to the fun.
All the Mercy Watson books are perennial favorites around our house and get re-read every few months by both my older girls (ages 6 and 7). This is one series that they can both read themselves, and they are delighted to read them aloud to their little sister. Literarily, the stories are pretty fluffy, but my girls bask in the marshmallowy yumminess. And the pictures, with their fifties retro feel, add greatly to the fun.
October 8, 2021
I thought this was funny and so did my class! Mercy Watson is a great character (especially how she goes after buttered toast) and I love reading aloud the voices for the old ladies, Eugenia and Baby Lincoln. The voice of Leroy Ninker, the robber was another fun addition to this silly tale. Yippee-I-yo!
February 18, 2017
These Mercy Watson books are all fun. Love the senior ladies who live next door - Eugenia and "Baby" Lincoln. And Police Officer Tomilello. Love how every book ends with Mrs. Watson making Mercy's favorite treat for all present... hot toast "with a great deal of butter." These are simply fun and wholesome books!
June 17, 2020
I loved this cute little book. One minute Mercy in getting woken up by the sound of a toaster (She assumed someone was making buttered toast. She loves buttered toast). The next minute Mercy is giving a thief who doubles as a cowboy a ride around the town. Mercy even made the paper. This book goes down in my list of favorites.
I will have this series of books in my classroom. They are very easy and interesting reads! I love that they are chapter books. I think this encourages students to read more and it also gets them comfortable with longer reads. I will be putting these in stations in my classroom. Another great idea would be to assign each book of the series to a small group and then allow the small groups to share the "Mercy's adventure" they went on. This will encourage deeper thinking and creativity. A fun project can be that the students can each draw Mercy doing their favorite adventure that she went on.
I will have this series of books in my classroom. They are very easy and interesting reads! I love that they are chapter books. I think this encourages students to read more and it also gets them comfortable with longer reads. I will be putting these in stations in my classroom. Another great idea would be to assign each book of the series to a small group and then allow the small groups to share the "Mercy's adventure" they went on. This will encourage deeper thinking and creativity. A fun project can be that the students can each draw Mercy doing their favorite adventure that she went on.
October 15, 2020
I rate his high as my daughter just finished reading this to me and she is in the 1st grade. She did really well and the story was fun to hear. The pictures were great and Mercy is easy to love too. One to the next one. We started with the #3 book because she wanted to and the next one we will read is the Halloween one since she said it is close to then.
April 30, 2017
Mercy fought a cowboy who was robbing the Watsons! Mercy got on top of the cowboy and then she ate a candy on him. Then the fire department and the police officers came, and the Watsons, and the Lincolns! Then everybody ate toasts.
March 30, 2024
Second and third graders love this series! Especially this book! I love how each books introduces the characters so you do not need to have read any of the previous books. Mercy and her love of hot, buttered toast is endearing.
August 17, 2025
Es gracioso como el ladrón en este cuento está tan honesto. Se parece una persona muy genial, y estoy contento que él va a ser un vaquero ahora. No sé porque estaba un ladrón en primer lugar. Necesitaba dinero? Qué es su historia?
March 18, 2020
"I liked all of the pictures. I didn't even get scared." -Conley, age 4
July 16, 2020
I love this ridiculous pig.
March 30, 2021
These books are so much fun to read! Both the kid and I enjoy them. 😊
June 1, 2023
The third book in the Mercy Watson series.
Read with my 8yo. We plan to read the whole series this week!
Read with my 8yo. We plan to read the whole series this week!
March 6, 2024
Such a cute kids book! We loved it.
July 21, 2024
You can’t go wrong with Mercy Watson! Always engaging. My kids love the adventures and always want to find out what happens next!
January 7, 2025
More whimsy and fun abound in this silly book about a pig who loves snacks and a thief who wants to be a cowboy. My daughter and I had a lot of fun reading together.
April 30, 2026
Mercy is at it again.
December 30, 2020
Adorbs!!!
April 19, 2025
This is my second read through of this series, and I’m hopeful it won’t be my last. Mercy is a fantastic series.
May 3, 2024
This is a cute little story about a pig that loves toast and butter and happens to catch a theif. It really caught the attention of my 1st grader that dislikes reading and he finished it on a week. This book has exactly what grabs his interest. 5 stars for not only being a cute book but for getting my little guy to read.
June 15, 2020
This book was super interesting and really held my attention the whole time. It is about a pig named Mercy Watson. In this book Mercy unintentionally fights crime! As a future teacher this book is a great resource. There are a few things you could do with this book but what I would use it for is to teach students how to describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 386 reviews