Fall is almost here! With fall only a few weeks away, a good mystery is always fun! So, for September’s children’s book of the month, I decided to review Nate the Great and the Fishy Prize. Written by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat, Nate the Great is a series of thirty-one children’s mysteries about a young boy, Nate the Great, as he solves mysteries for his friends and neighbors. Joined by his trusty sidekick Sludge the Mut, Nate the Great searches for clues and pieces together puzzles to help his friends in their times of need. From finding a missing picture to lost tomatoes, Nate the Great is always on the case right after a good stack of pancakes.
These books were a highlight of my childhood! My sister and I still send each other pictures of perfectly piled pancakes with maple syrup dripping down the sides and a slice of butter on top, a reference to Nate the Great’s favorite food. I could not find my copy of Nate the Great (the first book), but these books are designed to be able to read in any order, so you can jump into the series at any point. However, as soon as I get ahold of the first book in the series, I will make sure to do a review of that book as well. But, as mentioned previously, for today, I will be diving into the eighth book in the series, Nate the Great and the Fishy Prize.
Book Information
Book Title: Nate the Great and the Fishy Prize
Author: Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
Illustrator: Marc Simont
Theme: Solving mysteries and helping friends
Plot: Nate the Great must find the missing prize for the smartest pet contest.
Page Count: Story Page Count – 48, Bonus and Education Material Page Count - 27
My Review
Nate the Great and Fishy Prize is an adorable story and a great avenue for introducing children to mysteries. Not only does this book, and others in the series, have bonus and educational material that help children learn deductive reasoning and other skills, this story is just plain fun! Sharmat finds just the right way of writing what children might be thinking and writing in short sentences to keep young minds from wondering. She captures various personalities in each character, building a fun and diverse cast of characters.
The story of Nate the Great’s search for the smartest pet contest prize is made even more fun by the illustrations that display each character’s personality perfectly, along with their various pets, such as Rosamond’s cats and Annie’s massive dog, Fang. My favorite part of this particular story is how the book opens with Nate the Great at the supermarket buying his dog shampoo. I just love this detail, as Nate the Great does a wonderful job being responsible for his pet dog, Sludge, rather than leaving his care to his mother. This subtle display of responsibility is a great message for young children. On top of this, I love that Nate the Great always leaves a note for his mom, letting her know where he is going, signing it “Love, Nate the Great.”
While my favorite book in this series is Nate the Great and the Missing Key, I loved this book! From its well-constructed story, complete with details for children to search out during the story and after, to the illustrations and bonus materials, I would definitely rate this book five stars! But let’s see what others thought of this little mystery.
Family Reviews
Alyssa and Chandler
Alyssa gave Nate the Great and the Fishy Prize a five-star rating, saying, “Nate the Great is a great character who uses good thinking skills! This book had awesome projects, animal facts, etc after the story! So cool!”
Alyssa’s daughter Chandler rated this book with five hearts, saying her favorite part was, “The whole thing! All the things they did! I liked the pancakes!” and “I liked the parrot! And I liked the dog Sludge! I liked Esmeralda’s hair!”
Kate and Josiah
Kate gave Nate the Great and the Fishy Prize a five-star rating, saying, “I appreciated it as a way to introduce kids to the mystery genre. It was very entertaining for me, too!”
Kate's son Josiah gave this book a one-heart rating, responding to the question of what his favorite part was, saying, “I don’t know. It was scary.”
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