Children's Fiction Mysteries & Detective Stories
Ghost and Max Monroe, Case #2, The
The Missing Zucchini
- Publisher
- Kids Can Press
- Initial publish date
- Apr 2015
- Category
- Mysteries & Detective Stories, Boys & Men, Horror & Ghost Stories
- Recommended Age
- 6 to 9
- Recommended Grade
- 1 to 4
- Recommended Reading age
- 6 to 9
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9781771380188
- Publish Date
- Apr 2015
- List Price
- $6.95
-
Hardback
- ISBN
- 9781771381543
- Publish Date
- Apr 2015
- List Price
- $12.95
Classroom Resources
Where to buy it
Description
Zeeta and Zelda Zamboni are beside themselves when they call the Monroe Detective Agency. “Our most prized possession has been stolen!” the sisters announce. “Will you help us? Please?” Max agrees to help them find their missing possession, and then he finds out what it is: a two-hundred-pound zucchini! Looking for a zucchini is “sure to be duller than dirt,” Max thinks. However, once he and Uncle Larry (the ghost) start digging around for clues, they discover this new case is actually full of interesting possibilities. In fact, the Zamboni sisters have some awfully suspicious neighbors. The big question is, will Max and Uncle Larry manage to solve the mystery and locate the giant zucchini in time to enter it in the Harvest Fair's vegetable competition?
Award-winning author L. M. Falcone has created a terrific early chapter book series with an appealing detective duo and laugh-out-loud dialogue. The segmented chapters, short sentences and humorous dialogue make the book easily digestible for newly independent readers, and the illustrations throughout bring the fast-moving story, with its assortment of oddball characters, to life. While having a ghost as one of the main characters gives this series a unique edge, Uncle Larry's childlike enthusiasm and chronic absentmindedness make him anything but scary. This book is sure to be a popular choice for free reading, particularly for boys. The series provides a great introduction to the mystery genre, perfect for honing critical-thinking and observation skills.
About the authors
L.M. Falcone has worked as a teacher, a private investigator and a screenwriter. Her writing credits include television's popular preteen series Are You Afraid of the Dark?, as well as the novels Walking with the Dead, The Devil, the Banshee and Me and The Midnight Curse. She lives in Toronto.
Kim Smith lives in Calgary, Alberta. This is her first children's book. When not illustrating for children, Kim illustrates comics. Her illustrations have been featured in advertising as well as in two comic collections, The Anthology Project and The Anthology Project, Volume Two. She graduated from the Alberta College of Art and Design in 2008 with a Bachelor of Design specializing in character design.
Awards
- Winner, Best Books for Kids & Teens, Canadian Children's Book Centre
- Winner, Best Books for Kids & Teens, Canadian Children's Book Centre
Editorial Reviews
Introduce Max to budding detectives or children who like to laugh as they read.—Kirkus Reviews
... a very entertaining and enjoyable read, and readers really don't know who the guilty party is until the end.—CM Magazine
... this series is perfect for readers who've graduated from Ron Roy's books.—School Library Journal
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