Joe Sherlock, Kid Detective, Case #000001: The Haunted Toolshed
Grade 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. InThe Haunted Toolshed, he attempts to discover who has been stealing things from his neighbor's house, including a glass eyeball and a bundt cake. InNeighborhood 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, WACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.