The Case of the Gasping Garbage (Doyle and Fossey, Science Detectives) (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Barbara Newman (Illustrator) "Introducing Doyle and Fossey..." (more)
Key Phrases: lab notebook, frog hopped, Mossy Lake, Scientist Nell, Professor Fossey (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 3-5-When one of their fifth-grade classmates finds a monster in her garbage can, science detectives Drake Doyle and Nell Fossey rush to the rescue. After discovering that the receptacle is in a warm place and smells like bread, they have the solution. The pair go on to save local frogs from a gruesome death on the highway, free a truck stuck under a bridge, and reveal the identity of another classmate's secret admirer. The first in a new series, this book will appeal to fans of short mysteries and kids with an interest in science experiments. Torrey's style is light and funny, and the stories move at a rapid pace. Newman's quirky drawings appear throughout the text. While readers may quickly guess the cause of the "gasping garbage," the other mysteries and solutions are clever, and are explained in the "Activities and Experiments" section. Kids will enjoy reading about these young scientists who sometimes outsmart adults.

Ashley Larsen, Woodside Library, CA

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 3-5. Move over, Einstein Anderson,. You have competition. Whether the "case" is a baker's unusually noisy garbage pail or a sudden wave of frog road kill, fifth-grade sleuths Drake Doyle and Nell Fossey are on the job. Doyle and Fossey have competition of their own in classmate James Frisco, a "bad, mad" scientist who fudges his experiments. Still, thanks to a combination of sharp observation, scientific method, careful thought, and decaf coffee ("Real scientists don't drink hot chocolate. Ditto for detectives."), the good guys always win out. Tongue firmly in cheek, Torrey bases the four problems and their solutions on basic, well-articulated scientific principles and techniques, reinforced by several related experiments or activities at the end to keep fans of this hardboiled series opener busy as they pine for the next installment. A scattering of small ink-and-wash illustrations by Barbara Johansen Newman adds comic details. John Peters
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile; 1st edition (July 9, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525466576
• ISBN-13: 978-0525466574
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,716,701 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Torrey is great!, October 15, 2006

By	reading geek (Providence RI, USA) - See all my reviews

Doyle and Fossey are really busy. They have tons of scientific mysteries on their hands and they know how to solve them! One of their client's garbage cans are gasping and gugling, frogs need to be saved and secret admirers need to be found. I like this series of short science fiction books because they show you how to do some nifty experiments.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An up and coming author - put on your "watch" list, January 2, 2002

By A Customer

Once again Michele! Artfully done. A wonderful children's book that is not only fun to read, but (gasp) you learn something too.
Michele is an author you want your children to read. I've placed her on my Amazon notification list for each new published novel.