Books with author Bruce Hale

Revealed at last--secrets and surprises from ace detectives Chet Gecko and Natalie Attired's criminal casebook! This nifty (and very handy) handbook features tips and techniques for detective work: how to shadow people, collect evidence, and conduct searches; photocopy-ready documents that every private eye needs--license, search warrants, forged sick-day notes from parents; a list of suspects and pointers on how to ID the crooks; a guide to detective lingo for all you shamuses; and tasty recipes for distinctively Chet Gecko-ish snacks, including Tick Tacos and Sweet Potato-Bug Pie (minus the bugs, of course). It doesn't take a private eye to see that this book is F-U-N.

A crime has been committed that strikes at the heart of Chet's very own family. Some slippery sneak has stolen his mother's beloved pearls, leaving Chet angrier than a nest of hornets on eviction day. When additional items go missing, Principal Zero turns up the heat by hiring Chet to flush out the thief. Will our gecko hero deliver the goods before it's too late? He'd better. Because this time, it's personal. This thirteenth entry in Chet and Natalie's tattered casebook is chock-full of the hilarious characters, wacky one-liners, and fast-paced mystery that have made this series a favorite among middle grade readers.

Fuzzy has a great new plan as the Adventure Director of the Class Pets Club -- the pets are going to join the Halloween Parade with their kids! In disguises, of course. Finally, they won't be missing all the fun!But then spooky things start happening, and not in a fun, Halloween way. Is Leo Gumpus Elementary... haunted? And if so, what's an adventurous guinea pig going to do about it?

Just when Max Segredo learned that his father is still alive, he also learned that Simon Segredo was working for LOTUS, an evil spy operation that wants to take down the Merry Sunshine Orphanage (a.k.a. the School for S.P.I.E.S.) and take over the world. Now Simon is on the run from LOTUS, and Max's surrogate family at the orphange is being threatened from without and within. LOTUS is trying to drive the school out of business, while the Ministry of Health is investigating an anonymous complaint about the orphanage.To top it all off, the trainee spies are riddled by fear and squabbling among themselves. Into this chaos strolls a mysterious billionaire who hires S.P.I.E.S. to steal a powerful mind control device. The fee for the job will help save the school, but there's a catch: they've got just three days to pilfer the device from an ultra-secure facility before LOTUS steals it first. Can the S.P.I.E.S beat their rivals to the prize before the orphanage doors close for good? In this action-packed sequel to PLAYING WITH FIRE, it is impossible not to root for Max, a spy-in-training with mad skills, a spunky attitude, a way with the ladies (well, okay, maybe not so much), and a big heart.

Will Fuzzy and his friends be able to fight against a plan to ban class pets, or will they be thrown out like yesterday's juice box?Is this the end of class pets?When Fuzzy accidentally gets a kid hurt, he feels awful. But worse -- the PTA president demands to get rid of all the class pets!Fuzzy and his friends get to work. A cuteness campaign? Their selfies fall short. A hunger strike? The pets get hungry. Could the PTA president's daughter be the key to staying in their classrooms, or will the pets get thrown out like yesterday's juice box?

Danger may be Chet Gecko's business, but dessert is his delight. . . . Chet Gecko's hunger for mystery is matched only by his appetite for cockroach casserole, mosquito marshmallow surprise, and stinkbug pie. So when the cafeteria needs help nabbing a food thief, Chet digs into the case with a passion he usually reserves only for dessert. But this time Chet may have bitten off more than even he can chew. Someone has framed him, and now everyone at Emerson Hicky--even his trusted partner, Natalie Attired--thinks the food thief is none other than Chet!

Right in the middle of a run-of-the-mill case, the powers that be finger Chet's fine-feathered partner, Natalie Attired, as a no-goodnik blackmailer and boot her out of Emerson Hicky quicker than you can say, "Boot her out of Emerson Hicky." Chet, of course, tackles the case for free. Mess with his partner, mess with--well, somebody. (Natalie's the brains of the outfit.) But just when Chet thinks he might clear her name, Natalie disappears, leaving behind a reddish smear that looks kind of like cherry ladybug jam. . . . Is it murder, or something serious?

Get ready for muckraking time at Emerson Hicky Elementary. No, not the annual mud-pie-eating contest-it's the student council election. And, as Chet and Natalie are about to find out, politics is one dirty business. Someone is sending candidates ominous (and anonymous) threats . . . signs with messages like FIR IS FIRST! and DOWN WITH FEATHERS! are appearing all over school . . . and, oh yeah, a certain not-so-smooth-talking fox is hitting the hallways to drum up fanatic support for his flashy campaign. Yep, this presidential race is quickly getting fishier than the bottom of a pelican's lunch box. Could it be that someone is trying to rig the election? Good thing Chet and Natalie are around to expose the filthy frauds. But not before getting caught up in some dirty politics of their own.

It's no mystery: Chet Gecko can't sing. He can't dance. He can't act. Heck, he can't even act normal. So why would he take the lead in Mr. Ratnose's musical version of Shakespeare's Omlet, Prince of Denver? A new case, naturally. The original leading man has disappeared, and something smells rotten in the realm of Ratnose. Did the third-act lip-lock with Shirley Chameleon scare him away? Or is foul play afoot? One thing's for certain: This mystery won't be over until the fat gecko--er, lady--sings.

Hold on to your fedoras, Gecko fans: Chet and Natalie have at last met their sleuthing match. That's right--a new detective has arrived at Emerson Hicky Elementary. His name's Bland. James Bland. Bland immediately cracks a case that has baffled Chet and Natalie. Do our favorite PIs get jealous? You'd better believe it! And if this wasn't bad enough, when Bland suddenly goes missing, the blame falls squarely on Chet. The only way for our hero to clear his name is to rescue his tubby rival. It's either that or face a stint behind bars--and we're not talking the jungle gym. This twelfth installment in Bruce Hale's Chet Gecko series is full of the hilarious characters, witty one-liners, and fast-paced mystery that have made Chet a favorite with middle grade readers.