Nate the Great and the Star-Spangled Parrot

Nate the Great

by Andrew Sharmat

Nate the Great has been asked to help find his friend's parrot. It isn't just any parrot. And time is of the essence—the parrot and others are scheduled to perform at the upcoming 4th of July picnic. Nate the Great, along with his dog Sludge, are on the trail of clues and confident they can solve the case before the big day!Nate is working two cases at once! A double whammy in more ways than one way! The annual 4th of July Picnic is two days away and decorations are going up in Deering Oaks Park. As Nate and Sludge stroll along, they run into their friend Pip and his parrot Prattles. Pip explains that he’s lost his other parrot—Penelope—a drone that he disguised as a parrot, as a friend for Prattles. Pip plans to sing the Star-Spangled Banner with Prattles and Penelope at the picnic so they don’t have much time.The next day, Claude comes calling and asks Nate if he can help solve a case for him.  He explains he’s lost Baxter, his drone parrot. A lightbulb goes off in Nate’s head--an idea that may very well lead to solving both cases at once.What happens next is a mix-up of epic proportions, but in the end Nate’s smart thinking and problem-solving makes sense of it all. And on picnic day, Pip is able to sing his song with Prattles and Penelope, however a pig called Anastasia manages to somehow steal the show!

Genres: Childrens

64 pages, Hardcover

Published June 11, 2024

Reviews

[Erin]

This is a disappointment. I've read every single Nate the Great book. And this was missing so much of what makes this young detective wonderful. The people were there, there, was a mystery but there was lacking so many elements that make this beloved by my 5 year old.

[Olivia]

NATE THE GREAT AND THE STAR-SPANGLED PARROT is a simple mystery early chapter book that will work well for young independent readers. Nate the Great is heading into the park when he sees his friend Pip, who has a case for him. Pip has lost his drone parrot, Penelope. He needs to find Penelope so that she can help to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the upcoming Fourth of July celebration.

Nate is on the case, which takes a few unexpected turns along the way. Using clues and the help of his detective dog, Sludge, he is luckily able to help find Penelope and enjoy the Fourth of July celebration.

What I loved: This story uses simple sentences and repetitive phrases/words to make it more accessible for children who are just beginning their independent chapter book journey. Each page spread includes illustrations in full color, which help to break up the blocks of text and make the pages turn more quickly. Combined with the large font and simple phrasing, this is a helpful book to begin with for readers who are just starting into chapter books.

The story is fun with some great asides as they investigate, leading into the woods and poison ivy, as well as making quick connections between the wind, other events, and his neighbor's state to help locate the missing drone parrot. There is a great dose of comedy in the story as well that will appeal to the intended age range, who will understand the jokes and be able to laugh along. The animals, mystery of the case, and silly asides make this an entertaining read throughout.

What left me wanting more: As a small thing, while the simple phrasing and repetitive language will work well for early independent chapter book readers, it can feel like it bogs down the story in places. Nate can also be a bit judgy at times, particularly with remarks about Pip's too-long hair and the mess in Claude's yard. As another small thing, the story also includes a page of cursive text which some young readers may not know and may trip them up in a story that they could otherwise read by themselves.

Final verdict: NATE THE GREAT AND THE STAR-SPANGLED PARROT is an overall entertaining early chapter book that will engage independent readers with full-color illustrations, simple phrasing, and a good mystery to solve.

Please note that I received an ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Barbara]

Fans of this popular series for beginning readers [2.5 for me!] will love seeing Nate the Great, a young detective, and his faithful dog, Sludge, on the case again. It seems that his friend Pip has lost his drone parrot, Penelope, that he purchased as a companion for Prattles, his real parrot. Nate has to do some quick thinking and even search in a pigpen for the missing drone since the parrots are supposed to accompany Pip during the Fourth of July celebration when he sings "The Star-Spangled Banner." But Penelope has picked up certain sounds that make their rendition unique. The colorful illustrations and Nate's voice give this one plenty of appear for its intended audience.

[Troop 30487 LFL 173997]

Our Little Free Library received a copy of this book as part of a giveaway.
Prior to placing it in 0ur LFL, I read it out loud to my family who remained engaged the entire time. The incorporation of the parrot and the drone parrot made for great entertainment and bit of detective work to help out a friend. Having never read any of the series, I had no problem grasping who all the characters were so it held its own as a stand alone. I missed the 5 star mark for us only because there was a side storyline involving cats and a raffle that I didn't feel added to the story.
The illustrations were perfect although I would be a little concerned for the pigs safety if this was a real situation.

[Read Ribbet]

Nate the Great is back in this simple chapter book with lots of picture support for young and intermediate grade readers. This time he is trying to help his friends track down a missing drone disguised as a parrot. Nate is always good at picking up on clues to advance the investigation. Nate does solve the case right in time for the big 4th of July celebration. The parrots are used to help sing the Star-Spangled Banner for the holiday.

[Alyssa Gardner]

It was charming to see Nate the Great take on this festive Fourth of July mystery! 🇺🇸

Andrew Sharmat did great integrating beloved characters in a manner that allows this book to function as a stand-alone. The drone was a nice touch to bring some modern tech into an early reader, mystery classic.

[Cheryl]

No activities in this new entry, written by the original author's son. I see he's done several. Simont is no longer the illustrator, either, of course. I'm always conflicted about continuations and posthumously published works, but maybe it's not too bad here?
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Well, it's not terrible. But I really really don't like this new version of Rosamund. I will not read any other news stories.

[Jaime]

Julianna read this book to me for Lil more than 20 minutes for homework tonight. A book I picked from our library as she need a new book to read for reading log tonight. She gives book 4 stars because it was a little boring for her, she said.

[N]

It is a book about a detective who found a missing robot parrot. My favorite part was when the robot parrot learnt how to oink and grunt from a pig.

[Alice]

3.5 stars
Not quite the original Nate but getting closer