Regarding the Sink: Where, Oh Where, Did Waters Go?

Great book for real mystery lovers.It just gets better as you read more of it.

I'm in 9th grade and I just got this book for christmas. It had been on my wish list for quite some time. I love all of Kate Klise's books, and this one was no exception. Kate Klise's cleverness, combined with her sister, M. Sarah Klise's, drawings make for one of the best books I have read in a while. I would reccomend any of Klise's books to children of all ages. It's got everything a great mook should have- beans, cows, crabby old ladies, clogged sinks, and a class field trip to China.

Kate Klise and M. Sarah Klise have written a fun, clever sequel to their popular middle-grade novel, REGARDING THE FOUNTAIN. We find ourselves once again immersed in a mystery with the Geyser Creek Middle School sixth-grade class in REGARDING THE SINK. The trouble begins with a clogged cafeteria sink. The smell is just awful and the student body can't stand it much longer. The sixth graders want their old friend, Florence Waters, to design a new sink for them. Florence previously designed a new fountain for their school when the school's drinking fountain sprang a leak. The children have many suggestions for Florence, including a winking sink and a sink with a built-in computer. But all of the letters to Florence go unanswered and the children fear the worst has happened. They then find out that Florence has gone to China to help the endangered Sinkiang Spotted Suckerfish. The sixth grade class has their work cut out for them. While they are trying to raise money for a class trip to visit Florence, their school lunches are replaced with beans, the price of milk goes through the roof, and AIR-gate Inc. wants to replace rainstorms with man-made rain, which falls only at night. Are the sixth-graders and their patient teacher, Mr. Sam N., up to the challenge of solving these and other mysteries? This entire story is told through letters, news reports, advertisements and drawings. At first I found this writing style distracting, but once I focused on the story contained in the letters, etc., I thoroughly enjoyed it. Children who are hesitant to read novels with small print and large chunks of text will eat up this book's lively format. REGARDING THE SINK is a fun read for older elementary-aged students. I intend to pick up other books written by the talented author/illustrator team of Kate Klise and M. Sarah Klise. --- Reviewed by Renee Kirchner ([email protected])

The cafeteria sink at Geyser Creek Middle School is clogged, and the stench arising from the pipes is getting worse and worse every single day. So teacher Sam N.'s sixth-grade class decide to do something about it. They decide to hire their friend, and fountain designer, Florence Waters to design and build an intrepid new sink for the cafeteria. However, the famous designer is missing, so the kids decide to find out where she's disappeared to. With a little research, and an expensive school trip, the sixth-graders learn that Florence is in Sinkiang, China, so that's where they head. However, while there they find many mysterious happenings, such as a company that promises the public that it will only rain at night, their principal's cranky Mother, crooked politicians, and endangered Chinese fish. Written through newspaper articles, letters, e-mails, drawings, and class reports, this latest effort from the Klise sisters is a must-have. The plot of the story is enjoyable, and will have even the pickiest readers rolling on the floor laughing, while at the same time learning small bits of information about stocks, politics, and inventions. Whether you're a fan of previous books written by Kate Klise and illustrated by M. Sarah Klise, or not, this is a book that everyone will adore, including adults, and older siblings. Erika Sorocco Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

"Yahoo! At long last, Kate and Sarah Klise have penned a sequel to "Regarding the Fountain," the wildly popular and award-winning book about the clever kids of Geyser Creek Middle School. "Regarding the Sink" is a fun-filled (and pun-filled) mystery told in letters, newspaper stories, blackboard jottings, sink designs, feng shui instructions, stock quotes and tips, BEAN-MAIL, and even a singing telegram that really spills the beans. This is the stuff kids love to read, and read easily. The story? When the school¹s cafeteria sink becomes hopelessly clogged, Sam N's sixth-grade class turns to Florence Waters, their "Fountain Designer and Friend Extraordinaire." Alas, Flo has been missing for months -¬ in China. The kids get the money they need for a class trip to Asia, where they follow their noses, go with the flow, and "use their beans" to uncover a nasty scheme orchestrated by none other than their own U.S. senator. Naturally, they also rescue their friend Florence. (Adults who read this book along with their children may, like me, make a connection between Sen. Ergass' company, AIR-igate, and California's least-favorite energy supplier, Enron.) This is a fabulously fun book for kids to read and re-read. It also may inspire them to write a nice letter to someone they care about, since "a good letter is priceless." " -- Excerpted with permission from a published review in the Palo Alto (CA) Weekly, written by columnist/reviewer Debbie Duncan