(4) 4-6 Gecko & Sticky series. Illustrated by Stephen Gilpin. In Substitute, Dave's least-favorite teacher disappears mysteriously--only to be replaced by the ominously familiar Dr. Schwarz. Potion finds Dave and pet gecko Sticky tasked with delivering a package to dangerous Damien Black. The series continues to blend broad school-based humor with outlandish fantasy plots in winning, if a bit frantic, adventures. Review covers these Gecko & Sticky titles: The Power Potion and Sinister Substitute.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(4) 4-6 Gecko & Sticky series. Illustrated by Stephen Gilpin. In Substitute, Dave's least-favorite teacher disappears mysteriously--only to be replaced by the ominously familiar Dr. Schwarz. Potion finds Dave and pet gecko Sticky tasked with delivering a package to dangerous Damien Black. The series continues to blend broad school-based humor with outlandish fantasy plots in winning, if a bit frantic, adventures. Review covers these Gecko & Sticky titles: The Power Potion and Sinister Substitute.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(3) 4-6 Chet Gecko Mystery series. Detective Chet Gecko investigates the cause of a massive stink bomb and other unpleasant incidents at school. All clues seem to implicate the friendly janitor, but Chet isn't convinced. The gecko detective's fans will continue to appreciate his humorous narrative voice and running commentary on school life (readers will likely recognize their own schoolmates among the animal-character types).

Reviewer: Beth L. Meister

(3) 4-6 Chet Gecko Mystery series. With Emerson Hicky Elementary's students acting like they're "hopped up on s'mores and sleeplessness," PI Chet Gecko wonders if they've been hit with a Wiccan hex. Or were their lunches spiked by the Munchmeister 2000's inventor or a bitter ex-employee? Chet's nonstop wisecracks and sidekick Natalie's jokes are, per usual, giggle- (and groan-) inducing. Black-and-white illustrations display the animal cast's antics.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(4) 4-6 Gecko & Sticky series. Illustrated by Stephen Gilpin. Dave Sanchez and his sticky-fingered, Spanish-speaking gecko pet star in this series featuring a dastardly villain, ruthless treasure hunt, and Aztec ingots that give their wearer superpowers. The madcap plots sometimes slam on the brakes a little too abruptly, but Sticky's groan-inducing wisecracks help get readers through lulls in the action. Cliffhanger endings will stoke demand for the next series installments. Review covers these Gecko & Sticky titles The Greatest Power and Villain's Lair.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(4) 4-6 Gecko & Sticky series. Illustrated by Stephen Gilpin. Dave Sanchez and his sticky-fingered, Spanish-speaking gecko pet star in this series featuring a dastardly villain, ruthless treasure hunt, and Aztec ingots that give their wearer superpowers. The madcap plots sometimes slam on the brakes a little too abruptly, but Sticky's groan-inducing wisecracks help get readers through lulls in the action. Cliffhanger endings will stoke demand for the next series installments. Review covers these Gecko & Sticky titles The Greatest Power and Villain's Lair.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(3) 4-6 Chet Gecko Mystery series. The theft of a pearl necklace from his sister's desk gets Chet Gecko all riled up: "No crook had ever picked on my family before...This punk was going down hard, like a skydiving brontosaurus." For Chet's thirteenth case, Hale sticks to his winning formula: loads of animal shenanigans, sassy comebacks, and silly puns. Black-and-white illustrations capture the action.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(3) 4-6 Chet Gecko Mystery series. Chet Gecko fears he's lost his "detective mojo" when a rival P.I. cracks his case. Who's the new sleuth in town? "The name's Bland. James Bland." Chet's reputation soon goes from bad to worse: Bland disappears and the gecko's the top suspect--until he collars a kidnapper with a revenge-of-the-nerds mentality. Hale's illustrations play up the zany goings-on.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(3) 4-6 Chet Gecko Mystery series. When the star of the Emerson Hicky Elementary School musical disappears, his replacement, detective Chet Gecko, juggles tracking down the actor with memorizing his lines ("To be or not to be. That's indigestion") and wisecracking with mockingbird sidekick, Natalie Attired. The story, gags, and comical black-and-white art featuring the all-animal school crowd are up to Gecko standards.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(3) 4-6 Chet Gecko Mystery series. When his sidekick, Natalie Attired, is "framed like a four-million-dollar Rembrandt" for blackmailing the vice-principal, hotshot detective Chet Gecko sets out to clear her name. Chet is as mouthy as ever, and his jokes fly fast and free--even when he's up against an "Industrial-Strength Nerd" and his evil robot army. Black-and-white drawings capture the latest to-do at Emerson Hicky Elementary.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(3) 4-6 Chet Gecko Mystery series. When super sleuth (and slacker student) Chet Gecko tries to expose a cheating ring, he's fingered as the prime suspect. To clear his name, the lizard and his mockingbird sidekick, Natalie, stage a food fight, which lands all of the suspects in the principal's office. As usual, Chet's quips and Natalie's puns pepper every page of this fast-paced mystery, which features comical black-and-white illustrations.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(4) 4-6 Chet Gecko Mystery series. When Chet Gecko's suspects (and clients) thwart his efforts to recover a prizewinning ticket for a tasty dessert, Emerson Hicky Elementary's detective is "as short on ideas as a ten-year-old TV sitcom." The great gecko's wisecracks are up to par, but readers may struggle with the overlarge, albeit humorously sketched cast.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(3) 4-6 Chet Gecko Mystery series. Hot on the trail of a classroom vandal, fourth-grade private eyes Chet Gecko and Natalie Attired infiltrate the Dirty Rotten Stinkers gang and pursue a werewolf hamster. Chet's trademark wise-guy one-liners are up to form and will draw plenty of chuckles. Punchy black-and-white illustrations play up the animal characters' anthropomorphic traits.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(3) 4-6 Chet Gecko Mystery series. After three football players go AWOL, Chet Gecko dons a uniform and goes undercover to try to find the team's missing members before Friday's big game. Chet is at his sassy, wise-cracking best--even when thrown "deeper into the sports world than a dung beetle in elephant poop." The book's black-and-white illustrations play up the lizard detective's puny physique to humorous effect.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(3) 1-3 Chet Gecko Mystery series. When his classmates start acting like obedient drones, private eye Chet Gecko decides to investigate the matter before he, too, ends up "dancing the zombie mambo." As in earlier books in the series, Big Nap is loaded with film-noirish dialogue and clever puns that provide plenty of humor for older readers, but the younger crowd may not catch all the jokes. Hale's black-and-white illustrations show off his wacky cast of characters.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(3) 4-6 Chet Gecko Mystery series. Framed for stealing food from the cafeteria and sentenced to a lifetime of detention and years of dishwashing duty, Chet Gecko, a grade-school private eye, sets out to clear his name with the help of his mockingbird partner Natalie Attired. The quirky mystery plays with hard-boiled detective fiction conventions and includes loads of puns, gags, and goofy one-liners. Cartoonlike illustrations add to the humor.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger