The Malted Falcon: From the Tattered Casebook of Chet Gecko, Private Eye

My son (9) loved this book! I am thrilled because he'd usually rather play sports than sit down and read a book. I met Mr. Hale at a conference recently and was impressed by his intelligence, wit and love of writing for children. Most books mean different things to different people, and some people approach a book, an author or a particular subject with a personal agenda, emotional baggage or ill-conceived notions. The Malted Falcon is a fun story that will delight children with its humor and creative characterizations. Thankfully, children usually appoach books with open minds and objectivity --unlike some 'wiser' adults.

Kids who enjoy the Time Warp Trio and other volumes with wise-cracking characters will enjoy the Bruce Hale books. I'm not sure why another reviewer felt compelled to give this series one star; he also went to the trouble of repeating the identical review for every book in the series. If he disliked the first one so much, one wonders why--and if--he read the others.

I don't understand why Smith doesn't like the Chet Gecko series and felt it necessary to type the same line on the page of every book in the series. I am reading number seven in the series and they have all been great. I am now twelve and I still enjoy them. The Malted Falcon was a particular favorite because I laughed all the way through. If you like funny stories with a little mystery mixed in, these are for you.