Customer Reviews

The Chameleon Wore Chartreuse (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This first Chet Gecko mystery has it all. Danger of the worst disaster possible in elementary school--total public embarrassment--unless our hero can crack the case by the end of the school day. Villains and ne'er-do-wells. A character with true-to-life reptilian traits and appetites but a voice that's half classic sleuth half comic strip. Droll drawings. Gross humor and corny puns. A female classmate who outwits Chet almost to the end. And best of all--there are five more Chet Gecko Mysteries in the works!

Chet Gecko is a lizard with an attitude. He's also the guy to go to if you have a mystery to solve at Emerson Hicky Elementary School. In the first book of the Chet Gecko mystery series, The Chameleon Wore Chartreuse, Shirley the Chameleon asks for Chet's help in locating her missing brother, a troublesome first grader named Billy. With the promise of a piece of stinkbug pie and a "cootie" filled kiss from Shirley, Chet sets off to solve the mystery.

His detective work leads him to an assortment of unsavory characters: the Rat sisters, who steal his lunch and give him misleading clues; two frightening teachers, Mrs. Toaden (a toad) and Mrs. Glick (an alligator), who almost prevent Chet from solving his case; and Herman the Gila Monster, a huge, poisonous, sixth grade football player, who is up to something bad. With the help of a mockingbird friend named Natalie Attired, Chet finds his way in and out of the classroom in his rush to solve the mystery before the football game that afternoon.

Author Bruce Hale narrates the story from Chet's point of view, and Chet's smart, cool attitude is portrayed through his thoughts and dialogue. Unique, humorous descriptions serve to highlight each character. However, the sheer number of characters makes the story a bit confusing to follow and doesn't allow the reader to connect as well with the main characters. The plot also drags on and on, and the final conflict doesn't seem to be important enough to take up a whole book. Also, the overly witty dialogue gets a bit redundant at times. Perhaps, for a child, the story is more intriguing than for me as an adult. (I'll have to test it out with my class.)

For kids looking for a good laugh and an unusual situation (such as a school consisting of mainly amphibians, reptiles, and rodents), this may be a decent book. While the mystery and plot wasn't particularly interesting, the characters themselves are fun to read about. The Chameleon Wore Chartreuse can be recommended as a light read for children ages 8 and up.

Some of my fourth grade second language students were having trouble understanding and enjoying this book, so I picked it up and started to read it to see why. The way in which the dialogue for the characters is written is right out of a 1940's detective movie, and students of this age group and background do not have familiarity with such movies. I decided to read it as a read aloud to the class. It was a HUGE hit! Very humorous! Very witty! Now all the students want to read more of the books and are clamoring for the ones I have.

Chet gecko is just one of the many average geckoes at his school but there's something different about him: he's a private eye. Solving mysteries as he solves his math problems, theirs a problem at Chet's school, Billy has gone missing. Is it up to Chet to find him? It won't be that easy. A certain someone is standing in his way. Billy's sister Sherly offers Chet a big piece of stinkbug pie if he could find him. Chet cannot refuse a tasty snack. Chet gets some help from his new sidekick.

This was my first book I really enjoyed. I'm now reading the rest of the books in the series. It's a really funny book and it has a great mystery. When I laugh it makes me want to read more.

Then this is the book for you! I'm 8 years old and I read this book...I thought is was GREAT!!! Chet books are great for just sitting down and reading. It makes you laugh but it's also exciting. I recommend this book to kids of all ages.

My son is [...] and hates chapter books, he would much rather be reading non-fiction. When I found the Chet Gecko series at the store, I took a chance and bought the first book. At first my son refused to read it, but after reading the first two chapters aloud as a bedtime story, he was hooked. He has since read all of the Chet Gecko novels and loves each and every one. I have read most of them to my students, (I teach reading recovery in a middle school)and they have always been a huge hit. While he may not be reading Chaucer, I am very happy to see him reading chapter books and enjoying himself. My six year old daughter also loves having the books read to her. I would recommend the Chet Gecko to any child, boy or girl, as a great introduction to mystery novels, detective stories, and bad puns.

The part when he solved the mystery the best except when he got kissed. That was very sick. I am reading the second book. My brother wants to read it too. I liked Chet and his partner the Mockingbird the best.

In Hebrew the character "Chet" is written the same way as the Greek character "pi" (as in a circle's circumference divided by its diameter). So Chet's first name *sort of* means pi (P.I.: Private Investigator). Just another of Hale's endless, clever puns.

Fourth-grade sleuth, Chet Gecko, has experienced numerous different cases. Some start off easy, and some start off slowly. This particular case starts out with Shirley, a fourth-grade cheerleader, whose younger brother, Billy, is missing. Shirley promises Chet a heaping piece of stinkbug pie if he finds Billy before the football game. However, the football game is this afternoon. So Chet, with the help of his friend, Natalie Attired, a Mockingbird, quickly begin searching for clues. But they soon realize that if they don't work fast, Chet can say good-bye to his stinkbug pie.

I have seen the CHET GECKO MYSTERIES in the bookstore for years, but had never read any of the books in the series. However, the other day I decided to give THE CHAMELEON WORE CHARTREUSE a try, and I was not at all disappointed. Bruce Hale has done a wonderful job of creating a school that consists mainly of rodents, amphibians, birds, and various other animals. His hilarious wit, and many riddles will keep young readers enthralled until the very last page, and keep them coming back for more. If you're looking for a book to get your reluctant reader reading, THE CHAMELEON WORE CHARTREUSE is it.

Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

The jokes are great! It got me right from the start. An excellent introduction to an excellent series.