Nate the Great goes down in the dumps

Gr. 1-2. Simont's familiar ink-and-wash illustrations highlight the action as Nate, the trench-coated, houndstooth-capped young detective, along with his trusty canine sidekick, Sludge, attempts to recover Rosamond's missing money box. Likely culprits abound, but Nate is foiled until some clever thinking helps him come up with the key clue. Simple words will make this story a breeze for young readers, who will be encouraged by the intrepid investigator's sturdy confidence. --Phillis Wilson

K-Gr 3-- Another superb ``Nate the Great'' story that will engage young readers quickly. Rosamond looks into her crystal ball and sees another case for Nate to crack--her money box is missing and she wants Nate to find it. Nate finds many clues, but he does not recognize any of them until he and Sludge, his dog, are sitting on top of a mountain of junk at the town dump. Finally, he realizes that he has known all along the location of the missing box. The writing is clear and uncomplicated while maintaining interesting and varied sentence structures. Simont's illustrations, alternately black-and-white and in three colors, add just the right amount of interest and detail to the text. --Sharron McElmeel, Cedar Rapids Community Schools, Iowa (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.