Mercy Watson Fights Crime (Mercy Watson Series #3)

by Kate DiCamillo, Chris Van Dusen (Illustrator)

Overview

"Another rollicking addition starring the porcine wonder. . . . Will keep newly independent readers turning the pages. — School Library Journal (starred review)

Leroy Ninker is a small man with a big dream: he wants to be a cowboy, but for now he's just a thief. In fact, Leroy is robbing the Watsons' kitchen right this minute! As he drags the toaster across the counter — screeeeeech — and drops it into his bag — clannngggg — little does he know that a certain large pig who loves toast with a great deal of butter is stirring from sleep. Even less could he guess that comedy of errors (not to mention the buttery sweets in his pocket) will soon lead this little man on the wild and raucous rodeo ride he's always dreamed of! Nosy neighbors, astonished firemen, a puzzled policeman, and the ever-doting Watsons return for a tongue-in-snout adventure about Kate DiCamillo's delightfully single-minded pig.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763649524
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	06/04/2010
Series:	Mercy Watson Series , #3
Pages:	80
Sales rank:	32,186
Product dimensions:	8.18(w) x 6.48(h) x 0.28(d)
Lexile:	510L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 8 Years

About the Author

 

Hometown:

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Date of Birth:

March 25, 1964

Place of Birth:

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Education:

B.A. in English, University of Florida at Gainesville, 1987

Editorial Reviews

Mercy is back in this fun third installment of merrymaking, buttered-toast eating, and crime solving.
—Kirkus Reviews

The shiny, retro pictures still amuse.
—Booklist

Another rollicking adventure…DiCamillo has creatively woven in the elements that a good easy reader should have: repetition, simple sentence structure, and controlled vocabulary.
—School Library Journal (starred review)

Charming and colorful.
—Dayton Daily News

This silly story makes my nearly 9-year-old son laugh out loud at every reading (yes, it’s been requested multiple times).
—Denver Post

From the Publisher

Larry Ninker wants to move up the job ladder, but most people would regard his dream as a bit too ambitious: After all, how many small-town thieves crawl up the rung to become professional cowboys? Into the thicket of Larry's professional problems stumbles one plump, tired, hungry pig. Mercy Watson's many fans will chuckle through this entire porcine adventure.

Back in a third adventure, the plucky porker catches a thief in the midst of robbing the Watsons' kitchen in Mercy Watson Fights Crime by Kate DiCamillo, illus. by Chris Van Dusen. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

PreS-Gr 2-Another rollicking adventure starring the porcine wonder. One night, Mercy awakes to the sound of the toaster scraping along the kitchen counter, which can only mean one thing-someone is making toast. Her life revolves around hot buttered toast, so she heads for the kitchen. There she finds a little man in a ten-gallon hat stealing the toaster along with other household items. Hilarity ensues, and all of the familiar characters from the previous books make appearances. Humor abounds in this tale, both the slapstick and more subtle variety, which will keep newly independent readers turning the pages. DiCamillo has creatively woven in the elements that a good easy reader should have: repetition, simple sentence structure, and controlled vocabulary. Van Dusen's stylized illustrations enhance the action through their bright colors and exaggerated appearances of the humans. A great addition.-Elaine Lesh Morgan, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Mercy is back in this fun third installment of merrymaking, buttered-toast eating, and crime solving. When she's awakened by the sound of the toaster being dragged across the counter, she discovers a cowboy named Leroy walking off with a sackful of kitchen loot. Exhaustion gets the better of the porcine wonder and she settles down for a nap while Leroy settles down to some serious stealing. When Leroy opens up a butter-barrel candy, our butter-loving heroine wakes and gives Leroy a pig-bronco ride as she searches for the source of the butter smell. Of course, neighbors Eugenia and Baby Lincoln get in on the act and soon the firefighters and Officer Tomilello do too. A snack of toast with a great deal of butter follows for all. Silly crime-solving for the growing number of Mercy's young fans moving on from easy readers. (Fiction. 6-8)

Kirkus Reviews