Synopses & Reviews
and#8220;I am retiring from my life as a superhero and have enclosed my cape. Use it well. Sincerely, Uncle George.and#8221;
and#160;
Jo Schmo comes from a long line of crime fighters, but sheand#8217;s just a normal fourth grade girl into boys and skateboardsand#8212;until her uncleand#8217;s cape arrives on her San Francisco doorstep. Time to join the family business! Gramps shows Jo the tricks of the trade, and her dog, Raymond, becomes her slobbery sidekick. Just in time, too. Can Jo stop Dr. Dastardly and his deadly gang of dead dinos? Stay tuned for more adventures of Jo Schmo, complete with hilarious black-and-white illustrations.
Review
PRAISE FOR THE ADVENTURES OF JO SCHMO SERIES and#160; "Lighter-than-air superhero fun."and#8212;Kirkus and#160; "Trineand#8217;s offbeat brand of humor and Dormerand#8217;s angular, childlike illustrations . . . hit the mark."and#8212;Publishers Weekly and#160; "Thereand#8217;s plenty of goofy middle-grade appeal here for both boys and girls."and#8212;Bulletin
Review
"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."
-The Bulletin
THE MYSTERY OF MR. NICE
"Green-scaled gumshoe Chet Gecko hits his stride in this hard-boiled follow-up to The Chameleon Wore Chartreuse . . . Hale throws in wisecracks by the handful, terrible jokes . . . , and daffy clues. . . . Hold on to your fedoras: this gecko's going places."-Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
In their second hilarious adventure, fourth grade superhero Jo Schmo and her drooling dog, Raymond, go back in time to stop the infamous and stinky outlaw Wyatt Burp.
Synopsis
Superhero Jo Schmo has a problem: There aren't any crimes to fight in San Francisco! So she and her doggie sidekick, Raymond, build a time machine and head back to the gold rush days to track down the notorious burping outlaw Wyatt Burp. Meanwhile, trouble is brewing back in the present time. Two mean girls have it in for Jo, and they're lying in wait for her with a wrecking ball. If Wyatt and his Hole in the Head gang don't get her, Gertrude and Betty will. Look out, Jo!
Synopsis
Chet Gecko loves a good mystery. Almost more than he loves his fee--stinkbug pie.
So when fellow fourth grader Shirley Chameleon asks him to find her missing brother, Billy, Chet expects the case to be as easy a pie. But Billy's disappearance is part of a larger plot, one that involves the Rat Sisters, a riddling junkyard dog, and a vicious Gila monster named Herman. If Chet doesn't solve the case fast, the entire school could be humiliated. Worst of all, Chet might not get his fee. And Chet's hungry. . . .
About the Author
Bruce Hale is the author of five picture books as well as the Chet Gecko mysteries. A popular speaker, teacher, and storyteller for children and adults, he was awarded a Fulbright grant in 1998 to teach stroytelling and to study folklore in Thailand. He lives in Honolulu, Hawaii.