Mr. Chickee's Messy Mission (Flint Future Detectives) [Kindle Edition]

Christopher Paul Curtis (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3–6—This second book about the Flint Future Detectives is part mystery, part tall tale, part fantasy, and all fast-paced, zany comedy. When Russell's dog, Rodney Rodent, follows a winking gnome through a mural near the Halo Burger, Russell and his friends, Richelle and Steven, follow. They find themselves in Ourside on a porch with Mr. Chickee, who had given Steven a quadrillion-dollar bill in Mr. Chickee's Funny Money (Random, 2005). The kids have been summoned to this alternative universe to save Ourside by understanding the prophecies of the Chronicles of Zornea-Hu, the first Old Soul. They set out to find Rodney Rodent, hiring a surly guide who leads them to H.A.L.F. Land, where the unfinished, unused characters of fiction live. Curtis's spoofing with B. T. Bowling and the Hairy Plodder books, with The Great Morose Fire-Spewing Clabbernabber, is one of the novel's hilarious highlights. The surly guide steals Great-great grampa Carter's wildly funny insulting dictionary, setting the stage for the third book. Loaded with exclamation points and full of tongue-in-cheek asides, this book will be welcomed by those who enjoyed the young detectives' first adventure. Wacky characters, improbable happenings, weird challenges, and a chaotic plot will all conspire to have readers saying, as Russell does, "GULP!"—Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

They're baaaack! Steven and Russell, the Flint Future Detectives, return to solve another wacky magical case. Led by their new president, know-it-all Richelle Cyrus-Herndon, the smartest girl at Clark Elementary, the guys find themselves in an alternative universe called "Ourside" (Earth is "Yourside," and its people are known as "Your-o-trash"). While there, the children encounter their old friend Mr. Chickee, who entrusts them with a new mission: save the world. Impossible? Not for these kids. Led by Marvin, the surliest guide in Ourside, the intrepid detectives set off to decipher the riddles of the Chronicles of Zornea-Hu. "Abbot and Costella meet Harry Potter" is probably the best way to describe what happens, but most readers will be too busy laughing--or groaning--to care. The only thing left to say is that an inconclusive ending promises another adventure to come. Michael Cart
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 598 KB
• Print Length: 240 pages
• Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books (December 18, 2008)
• Sold by: Random House Digital, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B001O1O6J0
• Text-to-Speech: Not enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #99,069 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

More About the Author

Photo © 2003 James Keyser
author spotlight
"To me the highest accolade comes when a young reader tells me, 'I really liked your book.' The young seem to be able to say 'really' with a clarity, a faith, and an honesty that we as adults have long forgotten. That is why I write."--Christopher Paul Curtis

Christopher Paul Curtis made an outstanding debut in children's literature with The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963. His second novel, Bud, Not Buddy, is the first book ever to receive both the Newbery Medal and the Coretta Scott King Author Award.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Born in Flint, Michigan, Christopher Paul Curtis spent his first 13 years after high school on the assembly line of Flint's historic Fisher Body Plant # 1. His job entailed hanging car doors, and it left him with an aversion to getting into and out of large automobiles--particularly big Buicks.

With grandfathers like Earl "Lefty" Lewis, a Negro Baseball League pitcher, and 1930s bandleader Herman E. Curtis, Sr., of Herman Curtis and the Dusky Devastators of the Depression, it is easy to see why Christopher Paul Curtis was destined to become an entertainer.

The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963 tells the story of 10-year-old Kenny and his family, the Weird Watsons of Flint, Michigan, and their unforgettable journey that leads them into one of the darkest moments in American history. It is by turns a hilarious, touching, and tragic story about civil rights and the impact of violence on one family.

Curtis's novel Bud, Not Buddy focuses on 10-year-old Bud Caldwell, who hits the road in search of his father and his home. Times may be hard in 1936 Flint, Michigan, but orphaned Bud's got a few things going for him; he believes his mother left a clue of who his father was--and nothing can stop Bud from trying to find him.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Zany characters and events pack a fun leisure read., March 4, 2008

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mr. Chickee's Messy Mission (Hardcover)

Christopher Paul Curtis's fast-paced sequel to MR. CHICKEE'S FUNNY MONEY, Mr. Chickee's Messy Mission needs no prior familiarity to prove a fun adventure, and stands well alone for any elementary-level collection catering to grades 3-5. Here Steve, Russell and Richelle are in a different universe with Mr. Chickee when their dog Rodney Rodent vanishes and they try to find him before the Oops-a-Daisy clock hits zero. Zany characters and events pack a fun leisure read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Book Review, January 18, 2009

By 

puglover (Maine) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mr. Chickee's Messy Mission (Paperback)

This book was brand new, in great condition and arrived in the appropriate shipping time

4.0 out of 5 stars Mr. Chickee's Messy Mission, November 26, 2011

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Mr. Chickee's Messy Mission (Paperback)

Mr. Chickee's Messy Mission was very funny and exciting. It had a couple of twists in it, but it was fun. My favorite character was Russell because he has to go in a bunch of situations and he is the funniest one of all. He is 6 years old. Overall, Mr. Chickee's Messy Mission was one of my favorite books to read.