Review by Booklist Review
Gr. 2^-3. Kline continues her entertaining grade-school series with a Halloween story rooted in Class 3B. Everyone comes in costume, but Harry is in plain clothes, this year, dressed as a detective, and soon there's a case for him to solve. Series fans will welcome the characters, including narrator Doug (who is Harry's best friend), Song Lee, and their warm teacher, Miss Mackle. Only classmate Mary comes across as less than likable; she's the arrogant, whining prima donna who has it coming when her costume prop is stolen. The thief is treated with sympathy, and Harry's detective work is delicious. There's a sense of a real classroom, where learning is almost as much fun as the tricks and treats. And, for new readers, here's a lively introduction to the mystery genre. --Hazel Rochman
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-3-Harry's classmates in Room 3B know they can count on him to wear a really scary costume on Halloween. After all, he's been a slithery snake, the Loch Ness Monster, and Count Dracula in past years. When he arrives dressed in a suit and tie, they feel let down even after he explains that he is Sergeant Joe Friday of the LAPD. However, Harry's detective skills come in handy when Mary discovers that the pixie dust is missing from her costume accessories. Primary-grade humor and practical jokes, student science experiments, and mystery are sprinkled throughout the story. "Horrible Harry" fans as well as newcomers to the series will be amused with his Halloween antics in this chapter book for transitional readers.-Janie Schomberg, Leal Elementary School, Urbana, IL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Instead of wearing the scariest costume for Halloween, third-grader Harry dresses up as Sergeant Joe Friday of [cf2]Dragnet[cf1] fame. Acting like the deadpan detective, Harry solves a classroom mystery, but the humor will be lost on young readers, who won't be familiar with the 1960s TV character. This isn't one of the stronger books in the series, though the story is easy to read, and the frequent pen-and-ink drawings are humorous. From HORN BOOK Spring 2001, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Every year since kindergarten, Harrys Halloween costume has gotten scarier and scarier. Whats it going to be this year? Hes not telling. His classmates are all stunned when he shows up, not as some monster or a weird alien (well, not really)but as neatly dressed Sgt. Joe Friday of Dragnet fame, wielding a notebook and out to get just the facts, maam. As she has in Harrys 11 previous appearances (15, counting the ones his classmate Song Lee headlines), Kline ( Marvin and the Mean Words , 1997, etc.) captures grammar-school atmosphere, personalities, and incidents perfectly, from snits to science projects gone hilariously wrong. She even hands Harry/Friday a chance to exercise his sleuthing abilities, with a supply of baby powder fairy dust gone mysteriously missing. As legions of fans have learned to expect, Harry comes through with flying colors, pinning down the remorseful culprit in 11 minutes flat. No surprises here, just reliable, child-friendly, middle-grade fare. Illustrations not seen. (Fiction. 7-9)
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
