In these two wickedly funny, criminally punny mysteries from Chet Gecko's tattered casebook, the detective and his trusty mockingbird associate, Natalie Attired, keep law and order in the halls of Emerson Elementary.
Right in the middle of a run-of-the-mill case, the powers that be finger Chet's fine-feathered partner, Natalie Attired, as a no-goodnik blackmailer and boot her out of Emerson Hicky quicker than you can say, "Boot her out of Emerson Hicky."
Chet, of course, tackles the case for free. Mess with his partner, mess with--well, somebody. (Natalie's the brains of the outfit.) But just when Chet thinks he might clear her name, Natalie disappears, leaving behind a reddish smear that looks kind of like cherry ladybug jam . . . Is it murder, or something serious?
A serious book addict, Bruce wanted to be a children's book author since he was in 4th grade (right after he got over wanting to be a pirate, Tarzan, and Daniel Boone). Today he's the author-illustrator of over 70 seriously funny books for kids, so some dreams do come true.
The Malted Falcon, one of his Chet Gecko Mysteries series, was an Edgar Award finalist, and Murder, My Tweet won a Little D Award for Juvenile Humor Writing. Bruce has written everything from picture books and easy readers, to graphic novels and novels.
Bruce's recent Monstertown Mysteries series blends horror and humor, based on his childhood love of monster movies. His other series include Class Pets, about the secret lives of classroom pets, and the forthcoming Outerspace Mystery Pizza Club books, due in 2024.
A Fulbright Scholar (in Storytelling), Bruce is also a popular speaker, both in the U.S. and internationally. He lives in Santa Barbara with his wife and knuckleheaded dog Riley. When he's not writing or reading, you may find him hiking, kickboxing, or singing with a latin-jazz band called Mezcal Martini.
During a routine investigation, Chet Gecko's partner Natalie Attired is accused of blackmail, and is suspended from school by Vice Principal Ms. Shrewer. It's up to Chet to clear his partner's name, and prove her innocence.
This is a very good book in my eyes.One of the main characters in the story is Chet. Chet solves cases for everybody in need,he also does them for free.The main problem in the story is his partner Natalie disappears & he is trying to find her. It ends up she gets murdered and Chet is trying to find the killer.I like a lot of the stuff in this story.I love that he is very eager to help anyone in need I like Chet because he seems like a very good person with a kind loving heart.I idolize Chet because he seems someone i would look up to because he treats people with love & respect.I didnt really like how the book was so short.
I've been reading this to my five year old as a bedtime story. Personally, I thought it was a little over the top and would only give it 2 stars, but she loved it so I gave it an extra. Heavy on the wordplay so great for vocabulary building :)
This was lots of fun to read aloud with kids in 1940s Hollywood voices. We had some trouble keeping track of all the characters from day to day, and we're not even really sure what the plot was, mystery-wise, but we didn't care because the metaphors are so funny and the mood is so well-done.