Book Review: Nate the Great and the PIllowcase by Marjorie Sharmat

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Funny yet logical mystery for young readers

Cons: A few strange breaks between pages

The Bottom Line: 

Find the pillowcase

Using a few simple clues

Fun for young readers

Nate the Great Solves the Case of the Missing Pillowcase

I started loving mysteries early thanks to the antics of Nate the Great.  This young detective stars in a series of picture books.  While only the first was written when I was young, we discovered his further adventures in time for my younger brother.  Most are delightful, and that's certainly the case with Nate the Great and the Pillowcase.

In this series, Nate and his dog Sludge solves cases for the kids in his neighborhood.  His clients often include Annie and her dog Fang and Rosamond.  Nate things she is strange, and the fact that she has four cats with Hex in their name doesn't help.

It's the middle of the night when Nate the Great gets the call from Rosamond.  Big Hex's pillowcase is missing, and he can't go to sleep without it.  So the tired detective and his tired dog head out into the night to find it.  They look at Rosamond's house and even follow a clue to Annie's house, but they can't seem to find it.  Where might it be?

As a mystery, this book is very strong.  I was able to figure out the case before Nate because the clues are all there.  Kids may not make the connection, but they will realize how he logically reached that conclusion when he explains things.

One thing I like about the books is their humor.  Nate's narration of the story is often laced with funny bits and pieces that bring a smile or a grin.  To further amuse adults, the story is written in a series of short sentences with gives it a Dragnet feel if read correctly.

This series is now classified as an early reader.  Honestly, that does made sense since most of the words are ones that would be familiar to those learning to read.  This is longer than the easiest readers since most of the two page spreads in this 40 page story have a picture on half a page and text on the rest.  I do wish they hadn't broken up several sentences onto two pages since that's not something you usually see in picture books, but it's a minor complaint.

Marc Simont has illustrated all the books in this series, and he does a great job of capturing the characters and some of the funny situations.  They add a nice touch to the book.

Nate the Great is a find for those looking for something different for their young kids to read.  Nate the Great and the Pillowcase shows just why the series can be so much fun.