The Case of the Dirty Bird

June 1, 1992
These lively stories kick off the Culpepper Adventures series, which Paulsen conceived in the hopes of converting reluctant readers-or those hooked on TV-to reading. Kids, especially middle-grade boys, will willingly turn off the set to follow the spirited antics of 10-year-old Dune Culpepper and his bumbling best friend, Amos. In these inaugural escapades, the two self-styled sleuths manage to uncover the cache of a ring of appliance thieves with the help of an 150-year-old parrot and escape from a fierce watchdog to discover who stole a valuable antique doll. Blending spunky characters, zippy dialogue and comical, sometimes outlandish, plots, Paulsen shows that he is every bit as adept at serving up reading fare that is lighter than his usual offerings. Ten more tales are promised in this well-intentioned, well-executed series. Ages 8-12.

November 1, 1992
Gr. 4-6. The action is fast and funny in this mystery story, the first in Paulsen's 12-title Culpepper Adventures paperback series, which will be published over the next year. All are about 10-year-old Dunc Culpepper and his klutzy sidekick, Amos Binder. This time they're hot on the trail of some kind of buried treasure in an old building near the shadowy waterfront. They get their clues from a grungy old parrot who only responds to certain "code words." Paulsen doesn't spell out those words, except to say they're the kind that you see as graffiti on walls, the kind that, if an adult hears you use them, can get you spitting Ivory soap for a month. Parents are in the background, firm and safe, though Amos complains about the uncle who takes his shoes off while he watches football and picks his smelly feet through the socks. Dunc's in control most of the time; he's a planner and careful about detail, as when he meticulously greases the bearings on his bicycle. Amos, whose bicycle looks as if a car has been parked on it for a week, can wreck a room just trying to get to the phone when he thinks the distant object of his affection, Melissa Hansen, "might" be calling. When the kids do find the "treasure" and the crooks, they get in such trouble that they expect to be grounded until they're grandparents. With the comedy, exaggeration, and friendship firmly rooted in the contemporary scene, this will grab even reluctant readers, especially boys. ((Reviewed Nov. 1, 1992))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1992, American Library Association.)