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Children's Fiction Mysteries & Detective Stories

Ghost and Max Monroe, Case #2, The

The Missing Zucchini

by (author) L.M. Falcone

illustrated by Kim Smith

Publisher
Kids Can Press
Initial publish date
Apr 2015
Category
Mysteries & Detective Stories, Horror & Ghost Stories, Boys & Men
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781771380188
    Publish Date
    Apr 2015
    List Price
    $6.95
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9781771381543
    Publish Date
    Apr 2015
    List Price
    $12.95

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Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels

  • Age: 6 to 9
  • Grade: 1 to 4
  • Reading age: 6 to 9

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.

L.M. Falcone's profile page

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.

Kim Smith's profile page

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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