Book excerpt: Beginning readers are introduced to the detective mystery genre in these chapter books. Perfect for the Common Core, kids can problem-solve with Nate, using logical thinking to solve mysteries! Nate the Great has his work cut out for him. Rosamond has lost his birthday present! But how can Nate find his missing present when Rosamond won't tell him what it is? Check out the Fun Activities section in the back of the book! Visit Nate the Great and Sludge! NatetheGreatBooks.com “Brisk and bright as always, with pictures of a lovably scowling Nate and a voguishly strange Rosamond . . . for added appeal.”—Kirkus Reviews “Readers will have a dandy time following the case and will sympathize with Nate’s wish that he had failed to solve it when he finds the dismaying ‘present’.”—Publishers Weekly “The tongue-in-cheek mystery unfolds briskly. Simont's . . . cartoons are in tune with Sharmat’s comic touch.”—Booklist