Mr Nice


Book Description

During the mid 1980s Howard Marks had forty three aliases, eighty nine phone lines and owned twenty five companies throughout the world. Whether bars, recording studios or offshore banks, all were money laundering vehicles serving the core activity: dope dealing. Marks began to deal small amounts of hashish while doing a postgraduate philosopy course at Oxford, but soon he was moving much larger quantities. At the height of his career he was smuggling consignments of up to fifty tons from Pakistan and Thailand to America and Canada and had contact with organisations as diverse as MI6, the CIA, the IRA and the Mafia. Mr Nice is Howard Mark's extraordinary story.




The Mystery of Mr. Nice


Book Description

Most folks know him as the best lizard detective at Emerson Hicky Elementary, but it's not all knuckles and know-how with Chet Gecko. He's also got his artistic side. If it wasn't for his art, he might never have been sent to Principal Zero's office, where he stumbled onto the mystery of Mr. Nice. Because whatever you can say about Principal Zero, one thing is certain: He is not nice. Until now. Chet knows something is wrong with this picture, and he's just the gecko to solve this mystery. After all, who do you think put the art in smart aleck?




The Big Nap


Book Description

Someone is turning the students at Emerson Hicky Elementary into zombies, and it's up to fourth-grade private eye Chet Gecko to find out who. Chet'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.




Hiss Me Deadly


Book Description

Chet Gecko is hired by Principal Zero to investigate the disappearance of valuable items from Emerson Hicky Elementary--including Mama Gecko's pearls.




The Chameleon Wore Chartreuse


Book Description

Chet Gecko loves a good mystery. Almost more than he loves his fee—stinkbug pie. So when fellow fourth grader Shirley Chameleon asks him to find her missing brother, Billy, Chet expects the case to be as easy a pie. But Billy's disappearance is part of a larger plot, one that involves the Rat Sisters, a riddling junkyard dog, and a vicious Gila monster named Herman. If Chet doesn't solve the case fast, the entire school could be humiliated. Worst of all, Chet might not get his fee. And Chet's hungry. . . .




The Mystery of Mr. Nice


Book Description

When the principal of his school begins acting nice to him, Chet Gecko realizes that he is an imposter and so sets out to find the real one.




The Mystery of Mr. Nice


Book Description

When the principal of his school begins acting nice to him, Chet Gecko realizes that he is an impostor and so sets out to find the real one. B&W illustrations.




Reaching Reluctant Young Readers


Book Description

Reaching Reluctant Young Readers features 150 middle-grade books. Each profiled title has the potential to hook the reluctant reader and lure them to read the entire book. To specifically encourage elementary and middle-school-age reluctant children to read, there is first a pitch to get the reader’s attention. That is followed by a short reading passage to “set the hook” and encourage the young person to read the rest of the book on their own. Further, the book contains several hundred additional recommended titles. The books selected for this collection were chosen following the criteria of reluctant reader books created by the Quick Picks committee sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association. While these guidelines were designed for young adult books, they also work well for middle-grade books. The criteria include: clear writing (no convoluted long sentences with sophisticated vocabulary), high interest “hook” in the first few pages, well-defined characters, interesting plot, and familiar themes.




Get Those Guys Reading!


Book Description

Want to identify fiction books that boys in grades three through nine will find irresistible? This guide reveals dozens of worthwhile recommendations in categories ranging from adventure stories and sports novels to horror, humorous, and science fiction books. In Get Those Guys Reading!: Fiction and Series Books that Boys Will Love, authors Kathleen A. Baxter and Marcia A. Kochel provide compelling and current reading suggestions for younger boys—information that educators, librarians, and parents alike are desperate for. Comprising titles that are almost all well-reviewed in at least one major professional journal, or that are such big hits with kids that they've received the "stamp of approval" from the most important reviewers, this book will be invaluable to anyone whose goal is to help boys develop a healthy enthusiasm for reading. It includes chapters on adventure books; animal stories; graphic novels; historical fiction; humorous books; mystery, horror, and suspense titles; science fiction and fantasy; and sports novels. Within each chapter, the selections are further divided into books for younger readers (grades 3–6) and titles for older boys in grades 5–8. Elementary and middle school librarians and teachers, public librarians, Title One teachers, and parents of boys in grades 3–9 will all benefit greatly from having this book at hand.




Farewell, My Lunchbag


Book Description

When fourth-grade private eye Chet Gecko is called to catch someone who is stealing food from the school cafeteria, he finds himself framed for the crime. Chet's tattered casebook is chock-full of the hilarious characters, wacky one-liners, and fast-paced mystery that have everyone else boggled. Can Chet Gecko solve the mystery?




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