School Library Journal Review

Gr 3-6-Actor Jon Cryer gives a splendid reading of these two Chet Gecko Private Eye mysteries by Bruce Hale. The Big Nap finds Chet's animal classmates turned into creatures who enjoy school, help teachers with chores, and cheerfully do their homework. Chet knows there's something wrong with that scenario. Indeed, they have been turned into zombies, and Chet believes that the new weasel family in town has something to do with it. In Farewell, My Lunchbag, Mrs. Bagoong, the cafeteria lady, asks Chet to figure out who has been stealing food from Emerson Hicky Elementary School's lunchroom. Chet needs the help of his friend and partner, Natalie Attired. Things get rough when everyone suspects Chet himself is the culprit, but the private eye always wins the day. As usual, Hale models his books after the hard-boiled detective stories with tongue planted firmly in cheek. Loaded with similes and puns, many of the book's jokes will fly over children's heads but leave adults either grinning or groaning. Chapter titles are particularly amusing, with obscure references to pop culture and the mystery genre. Cryer reads the two novels with a deadpan style that harkens back to the days of film noir. He ably creates different voices for each character, going from sinister sibilance to dopey good humor. Occasional background music is jazzy or ominous, depending on the events in the story, and adds to the overall affect. The anthropomorphized characters are great fun and will be enjoyed by listeners.-B. Allison Gray, John Jermain Memorial Library, Sag Harbor, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.