Nate the Great and the Big Sniff

Nate the Great is a detective and a guy known for being able to find lost things or solve mysteries. However, in NATE THE GREAT AND THE BIG SNIFF, Nate experiences his most personal mystery of all when Sludge, his dog, detective partner, and best friend, ends up lost in Weinman Brothers, Nate's favorite store. Since no dogs are allowed in the store, Nate has to leave Sludge outside. Nate goes inside to buy a gift for Sludge and has to stand in a really long line. Worried about his doggy partner, Nate goes back to the entrance to check on Sludge and finds that Sludge is gone!Marjorie Weinman Sharmat is the author of over twenty Nate the Great adventures, including NATE THE GREAT STALKS STUPIDWEED, NATE THE GREAT AND THE BORING BEACH BAG, NATE THE GREAT AND THE HALLOWEEN HUNT, and NATE THE GREAT AND THE MUSHY VALENTINE. She has written dozens of books for young readers. She named Nate the Great after her father. Her books have been named as Children's Choice books and Junior Literary Guild selections, and been picked as Books of the Year by the Library of Congress.NATE THE GREAT AND THE BIG SNIFF is written as a chapter book, something the last few books in the series have changed to. The change is welcome because the chapters provide brief bits that can be read while on the go, and they all end up with cliffhanger endings that make the young reader want to pick the book up again or the young listener want to sit down and hear more. As always, the author presents a very real mystery with very real possible solutions before ultimately solving Nate's latest case. The usual cast of Annie and Fang and Rosamond show up in the story, and Claude puts in an appearance to round out the neighborhood. The way that all of the group bands together to help Nate find Sludge is really great and heart-warming. Over the years, Nate has been bothered by these people, or presented hard mysteries by them, and it's good to see that they help him out when he needs it, and that they actually care about Sludge. When the case is finally solved, Marjorie Weinman Sharmat and Mitchell Sharmat reveal that Sludge is every bit the detective that Nate is. The full color illustrations by Martha Weston are detailed and expressive. This is a truly great book for young readers and parents who love to read aloud to pre-readers.Young readers will enjoy the whole Nate the Great series because the tales are told in a familiar fashion and involve a solid cast of characters that return book after book. These books are also some of the best to choose for read-alouds to pre-readers or for the last story before bedtime because they can be read in just a few moments. The Nate the Great mysteries are fun and addictive for both parent and child.

Nate is a great detective and depends on his dog to help him solve cases. But Sludge is lost inside a department store, and this time Nat's on his own in solving the case of a missing best friend. Can Nate think like a dog to solve the case?