Nate the Great is about to enter his dog Sludge in the smartest pet contest. But when the prize disappears, it looks as if the contest will flop.

Match found in the German National Library.

I liked this book for a few reasons. For one, I liked that some of the characters in the story were people as well as animals. At a young age, students are interested in animals and pets; this story would help them to stay engaged while reading. I also liked that the plot contained a conflict about a missing prize to a “smartest pet” competition. Students enjoy competitions as well as pets. I think students would find this conflict interesting and want to read more to find out the solution. The big message of Nate the Great and the Fishy Prize is that teamwork is important in solving conflicts. Nate the Great and his dog, Sludge, had to work together to find the prize. At the end, Nate the Great explains that, “[he] knew Sludge had solved it sooner” when he was describing how they solved the mystery together. ( )

It's hard to write mysteries for children. This one has a missing prize made from a tunafish can. Children can guess along with Nate. ( )

Nate the Great, boy detective, is back on the case to solve the mystery of the missing prize for the Smartest Dog contest, in this book for beginning independent readers. Nate is about to enter his intelligent but dirty dog, Sludge, in the Smartest Pet contest, when the prize mysteriously disappears. Nate and Sludge have only an hour to follow all the clues and find it before the contest, and the whole thing ends with a fishy twist! This well written and illustrated book will be a big hit with new readers who are able to handle a full page of text (appx. 15 lines), RL 2.1. The book also includes bonus material including animal facts, riddles, activities, and a short quiz! ( )