Review Detail

NATE THE GREAT AND THE STAR-SPANGLED PARROT is a simple mystery early chapter book that will work well for young independent readers. Nate the Great is heading into the park when he sees his friend Pip, who has a case for him. Pip has lost his drone parrot, Penelope. He needs to find Penelope so that she can help to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the upcoming Fourth of July celebration.

Nate is on the case, which takes a few unexpected turns along the way. Using clues and the help of his detective dog, Sludge, he is luckily able to help find Penelope and enjoy the Fourth of July celebration.

What I loved: This story uses simple sentences and repetitive phrases/words to make it more accessible for children who are just beginning their independent chapter book journey. Each page spread includes illustrations in full color, which help to break up the blocks of text and make the pages turn more quickly. Combined with the large font and simple phrasing, this is a helpful book to begin with for readers who are just starting into chapter books.

The story is fun with some great asides as they investigate, leading into the woods and poison ivy, as well as making quick connections between the wind, other events, and his neighbor's state to help locate the missing drone parrot. There is a great dose of comedy in the story as well that will appeal to the intended age range, who will understand the jokes and be able to laugh along. The animals, mystery of the case, and silly asides make this an entertaining read throughout.

What left me wanting more: As a small thing, while the simple phrasing and repetitive language will work well for early independent chapter book readers, it can feel like it bogs down the story in places. Nate can also be a bit judgy at times, particularly with remarks about Pip's too-long hair and the mess in Claude's yard. As another small thing, the story also includes a page of cursive text which some young readers may not know and may trip them up in a story that they could otherwise read by themselves.

Final verdict: NATE THE GREAT AND THE STAR-SPANGLED PARROT is an overall entertaining early chapter book that will engage independent readers with full-color illustrations, simple phrasing, and a good mystery to solve.