The Chameleon Wore Chartreuse

When hired by a fellow fourth-grader to find her missing brother, Chet Gecko uncovers a plot involving a Gila monster's revenge upon the school football team.

Zesty and entertaining. The combination of school details, animal classmates, and homage to Raymond Chandler is glib but broadly and sustainedly humorous. . . . Young readers . . . will want to scuttle along with this schoolyard sleuth.

Bruce Hale is the author and illustrator of five picture books about Moki the surfing gecko. A popular speaker, teacher, and storyteller for both children and adults, he was awarded a Fulbright grant in 1998 to teach storytelling and to study folklore in Thailand. He lives in Honolulu, Hawaii.