Smashie McPerter Investigates Series

A field trip to the planetarium goes awry when Dontel’s technically correct picture of a working rocket is stolen. Can Smashie solve the trickiest mystery yet?

Smashie McPerter and her classmates from Room 11 are going on a field trip to the planetarium! Nobody is more excited than Smashie’s best friend, Dontel, who dreams of becoming an astrophysicist. In fact, Dontel has even created an accurate drawing of a working rocket, piloted by his and Smashie’s favorite action figure, Brainyon. In a surprise move, Dontel’s grandmother, who’s chaperoning, brings the rocket drawing with her to enter into the planetarium’s science contest. But in a shocking turn of events, the drawing goes missing before they get there! Smashie is on the case (luckily she brought an array of interesting hats to help get into character). But the suspect list keeps growing—prankster Billy, who prefers the Haddock over Brainyon; tight-lipped Tatiana, who’s wearing a NASA T-shirt; and . . . Smashie herself? Nobody is above suspicion in this third hilarious and clever Smashie McPerter mystery.

“Classroom dynamics and a diverse cast add a realistic element to this fast-paced tale of go-go dancing, rapid bilingual alphabetization, and general mayhem.” — Booklist

When the third-graders of Room 11 learn that they all must take part in a musicale, Smashie can’t wait to sing something heartfelt and loud. But the others are not so eager. Luckily, Charlene’s mom has agreed to donate her special gel that lengthens and sculpts hair into shapes, and soon, with the help of some retro sixties go-go dancing, all the kids are raring to go. That is, until their jars of goop go missing! Time for Smashie and her best friend, Dontel, to put on their Investigation Suits. . . . Discussions of motives and perps, hasty misaccusations and apology brownies, a math lesson used to crack a mysterious code, and a few choice red herrings build up to a truly hilarious madcap finale.

“Smashie will endear herself to many readers. . . . A gentle and humorous mystery for younger middle grade readers.” — School Library Journal

The day the hamster disappears from Smashie McPerter’s class begins like any other. As Room 11 descends into paranoia-fueled chaos, as natural suspects produce natural alibis, and as motives remain unmotivated, Smashie and her best friend, Dontel, are forced to the limits of their parlor-room detecting to set things right.