The Neighborhood Stink

July 1, 2006
Gr 2-5 -Fourth-grader Joe Sherlock aspires to follow in the footsteps of the famous Sherlock Holmes by solving local mysteries for $10 a day. He is endearing as he bumbles toward the solutions. In "The Haunted Toolshed", he attempts to discover who has been stealing things from his neighbor -s house, including a glass eyeball and a bundt cake. In "Neighborhood Stink", he -s called in to discover which local dog has been leaving a mess in a completely fenced-in yard and gets stuck in a dog door with only his -Inspector Wink-Wink - underpants on. Black-and-white cartoons add to the fun. Allusions to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle abound: Sherlock has an Uncle Mycroft and lives in the town of Baskerville. The gross-out factor is high in these easy chapter books -entire plots pivot on poop and flatulence, which will appeal to fans of Dav Pilkey -s -Captain Underpants - series (Scholastic)." -Kathleen Meulen, Blakely Elementary School, Bainbridge Island, WA"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.