The Neighborhood Stink

by Keane, Dave

• ISBN13: 9780060761868
• ISBN10: 0060761865
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-05-03
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publications

Summary

Can a goofy kid detective overcome a sudden and strong gag reflex? Will he stop stepping in the evidence? And will he solve the case in time for dinner? On a carpetlike lawn in a gated yard sit mysterious, smelly piles of dog poop. Mrs. Fefferland puts Joe Sherlock on the case to sniff out the culprit. But even Sherlock Holmes never encountered a case as baffling or stomach-churning as this. Most of the evidence is right under Joe Sherlock's nose, but danger is never far behind!

Excerpts

Joe Sherlock, Kid Detective, Case #000002: The Neighborhood Stink

Chapter One

Mystery Child

My name is Joe Sherlock.

But everyone calls me Sherlock, even my own parents. It sounds crazy, but my little sister didn't know my first name was Joe until she was almost six years old.

Of course, it makes perfect sense that I would be called Sherlock.

Why? Well, there's a bunch of old books written about a guy named Sherlock Holmes who smoked a pipe, wore a creepy hat, and solved mysteries like nobody's business. I've never read any of them. But I've seen lots of movies about him. So he's kind of like my hero. We almost have the same name—except for the Joe and Holmes parts. And like the great Sherlock Holmes, I was born with a natural gift for solving mysteries.

Some kids my age can play the piano, break a board with a karate chop, or remember to make their beds every day. Not me. Not even close. But I can find just about anything that's lost. I can figure out the answer to a riddle way before grown-ups can. And I just love a good mystery.

But don't get the wrong idea. I'm no brain. In fact, I'm pretty crummy at school. Miss Piffle, my teacher, once told my parents at back-to-school night that I was "a bit daffy," which is basically a nice way of saying "Your kid's a dope." But that's okay with me. I was born with a gift.

Sometimes I get a little help from my little sister, Hailey, who is sort of like my assistant. Actually, she's a bit of a troublemaker, so I have to make sure she doesn't play in the kitty litter or drop Dad's golf balls into the garbage disposal. She tags along sometimes. To be honest, sometimes she sees things that I miss . . . but mostly that's because she's a lot shorter than I am.

Anyway, before you start snoring like a banshee, I'd like you to sit back, relax, and watch your step as we plunge into my second official case as a private detective: Case #000002.

Joe Sherlock, Kid Detective, Case #000002: The Neighborhood Stink. Copyright © by Dave Keane. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold.

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Excerpted from The Neighborhood Stink by Dave Keane
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.