Parents' Guide to The Chameleon Wore Chartreuse

Book Bruce Hale Mystery 2001
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Common Sense Media Review

By S. K. List , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 9+

A tale that can make a grown-up giggle too.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 9+?

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What's the Story?

In a tale that can make a grown-up giggle, Chet Gecko follows clues through school to rescue a first-grade chameleon. The lizard hero walks a tightrope between the strict sweetness of elementary school and the rich tradition of film noir and pulp detective novels.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say : Not yet rated
Kids say : Not yet rated

Will the opening of THE CHAMELEON WORE CHARTREUSE set PC teeth on edge? "Some cases start rough, some cases start easy. This one started with a dame." But the next sentence clues us in to the Chet Gecko tone: "That's what we private eyes call a girl." From there, Bruce Hale sweeps readers into the wacky world of his school-age sleuth.

With tongue firmly planted in cheek, the author slips in some hilarious lines: "She was the kind of girl I could have fallen for. If I liked girls." Hale paints Emerson Hicky Elementary School as a benign and comical, if bizarre, world with just enough goofy reality to make it stick, and just enough style to make it pulpy. Kids (and adults) who've encountered classics of the genre will enjoy some good chuckles.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about pulp fiction. What are some of the hallmarks of the genre? Does this book qualify? Why or why not?

Book Details

  • Author : Bruce Hale
  • Genre : Mystery
  • Book type : Fiction
  • Publisher : Harcourt Brace
  • Publication date : February 16, 2001
  • Publisher's recommended age(s) : 9 - 12
  • Number of pages : 97
  • Last updated : July 12, 2017

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