Review by Booklist Review
Gr. 1-3. Nate the Great, Sharmat's clever detective, returns for yet another easy-to-read adventure. This time Nate searches for the lost plastic octopus that his baseball team uses for second base. The goopy purple monster belongs to his teammate, Oliver, but Nate's exploration of his friend's messy bedroom is unsuccessful. Further investigation in and around the neighborhood produces several missing octopus arms, but no real clues. Finally, Nate notices a baseball mitt caught in the branches of a tree and realizes that the sea creature has probably suffered a similar fate in the telephone cord behind Oliver's bookcase. Simont's sketches (some of them highlighted with color) capture the personalities of these quirky characters, emphasizing Sharmat's understated humor. Young mystery buffs and fans of the series will welcome Sharmat's latest offering. ~--Kay Weisman
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-3-- Nate is back with another perplexing problem. In this case, second base (a gloopy purple octopus belonging to teammate Oliver) is missing, All that can be found are two purple plastic arms in the dirt. At first, suspicions fall on teammate Annie's dog Fang, known to be capable of eating nearly anything, and although he is in possession of another of the octopus's arms, he is proven innocent. By following clues and using reasoning, Nate the Great solves the mystery. As usual, Sharmat does not condescend to her audience, and readers are provided with enough information to find the answer themselves. Subtle humor sparkles through the young detective's narration and his interactions with his friends, who more than adequately represent ethnic diversity and avoid gender stereotypes. Budding mystery fans will line up for this one. --Donna L. Scanlon, Lancaster County Library, PA (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
Nate the Great, boy detective, and his faithful dog Sludge are called upon to recover their baseball team's missing second base - a bedraggled, plastic, purple octopus. With his usual panache, Nate saves the day. Humorous watercolors illustrate the latest in the popular series. From HORN BOOK 1992, (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.
