• Age: 8 to 13
• Grade: 4
• Reading age: 10 to 13

Can two kids stop a sinister plot to steal the brain power of the people of Nanaimo?

Someone is delivering plates of scrumptious Nanaimo bars to every household in Nanaimo, and the people who eat them are behaving very strangely. Gordon Whillickers doesn’t get to eat his because, at the last minute, a hairy arm reaches through his window and steals them. He and Sophia chase after the thief and meet an amazing Sasquatch named Cheryl, who is also puzzled by the sudden appearance of the mouth-watering delicacies.

With the help of Cheryl and the technological wizardry of a local librarian, the two kids move ever closer to the alien creature at the centre of the plot. They must stop him before the Nanaimoites’ IQs are lost forever!

The first volume in ARTHUR SLADE’s Hunchback Assignments series won the prestigious TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award, and the second volume, The Dark Deeps, was a finalist for the Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children Award and the CLA Young Adult Book Award. Slade is also the author of Dust, a national bestseller and the winner of the 2001 Governor General’s Award for Children’s Literature, the Mr. Christie’s Book Award and the Saskatchewan Book Award for Children’s Literature. His other books include Tribes, Megiddo’s Shadow, Jolted, Monsterology, Villainology and the Canadian Chills series. He lives in Saskatoon. Visit him online at arthurslade.com.

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“There is far more hilarity than horror in this imaginative tale, which sets a far-fetched plot complete with aliens, robots, and monsters in the real-life city of Nanaimo. . . . There is lots of action, chases, and suspense as the mystery is uncovered and the story resolves happily for all concerned. The situations are hilarious, the description is great, and the dialogue and characters are amusing. This is an imaginative, informative, and entertaining chapter book for young readers. Recommended.” - Deborah Dowson, Canadian Book Review Annual

"I think each main character in this book probably could have solved the Nanaimo bar mystery themselves because they are very intelligent, but their working as a team ensured fun for us and a sense of community for them! ... Invasion of the IQ Snatchers is a page-turning story that can appeal to many readers ... This story will have young readers wanting to read more books in this series! Highly recommended." - Canadian Review of Materials

Invasion of the I.Q. Snatchers (Canadian Chills)