(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jody Wheeler. Rosamond is throwing a birthday party for her cousin Lizzie, whose four pet pythons give Nate the Great the shudders. But when the largest snake disappears during the festivities, the world's greatest detective must confront his fears to save the day. A winning new installment in the popular early-reader series, complete with its characteristic dry humor and clipped prose. Amusing spot art illustrates the chapters.

Reviewer: Grace Enriquez

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jody Wheeler. Although their friends have problems that need to be solved, Nate the Great and his dog Sludge want to take the day off from being famous detectives. They try disguises and hiding in the woods, but their friends soon find them, and it's back to work. Short sentences, plenty of illustrations, and subtle humor make this an enjoyable transitional reader.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Jody Wheeler. When Rosamond discovers a torn-out page in her cookbook after preparing snacks for her book club, she turns to detective Nate the Great and his dog Sludge. They attend the next meeting, carefully observing all that happens and gathering clues to catch the culprit. Subtle humor and wordplay, clever deducing, and plentiful black-and-white illustrations make this an appealing series entry.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Jody Wheeler. When an enormous turkey shows up in town, everyone, including Nate's dog, Sludge, and his cousin, Olivia, wants to find it--everyone that is, except Nate. Will he get drawn into the mystery anyway? Although small illustrations--Nate's hat and Olivia's boa--identify whose chapter is whose, the format is somewhat confusing, as Nate and Olivia alternately tell the amusing story.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Denise Brunkus. Olivia Sharp, cousin to Nate the Great, advertises her skills as an "agent for secrets" and takes on her first case. She has unbelievable amounts of money, freedom, and moxie, and the first-person narration sounds like a cross between Eloise and Junie B. Jones. The story is slight, but Nate the Great readers will find this an approachable next step toward reading independence.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Martha Weston. The great detective and his dog, Sludge, are on a train, acting as bodyguards for cousin Olivia's owl. After identifying and questioning three of Olivia's neighbors, Nate cracks the case of who left the owl a threatening note. Humorous short sentences just right for beginning readers enhance the hard-boiled atmosphere. Weston's loose color art follows the detective through every page of text.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Marc Simont. The thirtieth anniversary edition of the classic easy reader is unchanged from the original. Young detective Nate the Great finds his friend Annie's missing painting in this solid story. Nate's blocky, serious look in Simont's simple but expressive illustrations makes readers take him as seriously as he takes himself.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Martha Weston. Nate returns for another successful and funny mystery. This time he has to find his own dog, Sludge, who is lost in a large department store. Like the other books in the series, the story is satisfying, if a bit far-fetched, and the format and expressive illustrations are helpful to the new reader.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) 1-3 Duz Shedd series. Illustrated by Veronica Jones. Fresh from winning an Oscar for his acting, Fred's dog Duz makes an exercise video for pets. Unfortunately, a feline rival beats Duz to the market with a nearly identical video of her own. Suspecting this is more than a coincidence, Fred and his friend Pamela unravel the mystery in a lightly humorous story that will be appreciated by media-savvy early readers. Black-and-white drawings illustrate the readable text.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Martha Weton. Olivia Sharp, the feather boa-toting detective from another Sharmat series, makes a guest appearance in the latest Nate the Great mystery. During a visit to San Francisco, Nate helps lighten his cousin Olivia's caseload by tracking down a missing joke book. As always, the easy reader's subtle humor--in both the text and watercolors--and trademark clipped prose will please fans young and old.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Martha Weston. Nate's latest case is close to his heart or, rather, stomach. The boy detective and his canine sidekick, Sludge, are in hot pursuit of his mother's Monster Cookies recipe. Like earlier books in the popular series, this installment maintains a winning combination of crisp narration, quirky characters, and subtle humor. Weston's understated, yet expressive illustrations hold true to the style of the original illustrator, Marc Simont.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Marc Simont. Interspersed throughout Sharmat's trademark clipped prose and deadpan humor are hints and questions designed to draw budding mystery fans into Nate the Great's latest case. After Nate--and readers--have tracked down Annie's missing dog, the boy detective invites readers to a Detective Day party and shares sleuthing tips and recipes for invisible ink and latkes. Simont's humorous watercolors enhance the chapter-book mystery.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger