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Mudshark |  | Author: Gary Paulsen
Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books
List Price: $12.99
Buy New: $7.24
as of 11/22/2009 00:00 CST details
You Save: $5.75 (44%)
New (25) Used (9) from $7.24
Seller: READERS
Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 8681
Media: Hardcover
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Pages: 96
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.2 x 0.6
ISBN: 0385746857
EAN: 9780385746854
ASIN: 0385746857
Publication Date: May 12, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Mudshark is the go-to guy for any mysteries that need solving. Lost your shoe? Canât find your homework? Ask Mudshark. That is, until the Psychic Parrot takes up residence in the school library and threatens to overturn Mudsharkâs position as the guy who knows all the answers. The word in school is that the parrot can out-think Mudshark. And right now, the school needs someone whoâs good at solving problems. Thereâs an escaped gerbil running rampant, an emergency in the faculty restroom, and all the erasers are disappearing from the classrooms.
When Mudshark solves the mystery of whoâs stealing the erasers, he discovers the culprit has the best of intentions. Now he has to think of a way to prevent the Psychic Parrot from revealing the eraser-thiefâs identity. With a bit of misdirection and a lot of quick thinking, Mudshark restores order to the chaos . . . just for the moment.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Mudshark October 20, 2009
The Children's Book Reporter
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Mudshark is cool. He's athletic, he's friendly, and he's smart. Really, really smart. He can remember everything, and reigns supreme as item-finder and mystery-solver at his middle school...until a strange, "telepathic" parrot takes up residence in the library, just as things around his school are beginning to get very strange.
Mudshark (I mean the book this time) is clever and very, very funny. Because it is clearly early middle grade, the plot is small; I would argue that even as a middle grade book, it could have been slightly better developed... In particular, I would have been more satisfied if the reader had more insight/emotional involvement in the solving of the mystery, as the outcome seemed rather sudden. However, the characters were lovable and unique, the narrative voice was excellent, and the humor was superb. Highly recommended to readers ages 8-10 in particular.
 A funny easy reader follows Mudshark's dilemma July 23, 2009
Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Mudshark is cool: fast-thinking and the guy with the answers: that's why he's started his own detective agency and is so successful - until a psychic parrot enters the school library. Can he outthink Mudshark? A funny easy reader follows Mudshark's dilemma in this step above chapter book status.
A Quick and Fun Read For Just About Any Age June 9, 2009
Kidsreads.com (New York, NY)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Gary Paulsen, the prolific writer of award-winning books for boys, introduces a new character in his latest effort. Mudshark, aka Lyle Williams, loves to play death ball. He earned his nickname by making an amazing tackle during a game. But Mudshark is known for much more than his incredible ball-playing abilities. He has lightning-fast reflexes (honed from hours of chasing after his triplet sisters: Kara, Sara and Tara), and because he has a great memory and keen sense of observation, he is also good at solving mysteries.
Strange things start happening at Mudshark's elementary school. Erasers are disappearing in large numbers from the classrooms, a gerbil is on the loose somewhere in the building, and there is a problem in the faculty restroom. The Principal calls on Mudshark for help.
All the students know Mudshark is good at solving mysteries. If you lose your homework, you can count on him to find it. He is certainly up to the challenge of solving the "mystery of the disappearing erasers," but his mission is complicated by the librarian's pet parrot, who not only can talk, he also can observe things and speak in full sentences about them. For instance, when Betty wants to know where her recipe for lard is (Betty is always experimenting with formulas and recipes for all manner of concoctions), the parrot says, "Check the window ledge in the girls' restroom." Sure enough, the recipe is there. The students are amazed at the parrot's ability and believe he is psychic. They also think he might be as good as, or better than, Mudshark when it comes to solving mysteries.
But the parrot doesn't solve the mystery of the missing erasers. Mudshark does after much observation and deduction. Answering that question, though, leaves him with a bigger one. The culprit admits to stealing the erasers, but he is doing so for a good cause. Mudshark is willing to keep the custodian's secret, but he has to find a way to prevent the parrot from spilling the beans. He does this with a plan that involves a cat, a fair helping of "Odors to Repel" (one of Betty's concoctions) and a bit of magic.
Obviously, MUDSHARK is not of the serious HATCHET variety as it is humorous through and through. This newest cast of characters also includes Ms. Underdorf (the zany librarian who thinks a handbag is an armadillo) and Bill Wilson (the culturally educated custodian who collects art). Paulsen has written the book in such a way as to leave open the very real possibility of a sequel. Let's hope he adds more titles to the lineup with Mudshark as their star. The lively writing style and short chapters make it a quick and fun read for just about any age, especially for its target audience.
--- Reviewed by Christine M. Irvin
 Title is a derogative term, but book is pretty decent. June 8, 2009
maxGamer (Seattle, Washington)
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
This book isn't too shabby. Our 10 yr old loved it, but be forewarned - the title is a derogative term and if your child takes the book to school they may be teased for it.
Courtesy of Teens Read Too May 12, 2009
TeensReadToo.com (All Over the US & Canada)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
MUDSHARK is a great addition to any Gary Paulsen collection. It's not the HATCHET adventure type, but rather one of the crazy, mad-cap mishap stories like HOW ANGEL PETERSON GOT HIS NAME and LAWN BOY.
Mudshark is actually Lyle Williams. He got his name for his lightning speed and his incredible observation skills. These are skills he honed while keeping an eye on Kara, Sara, and Tara, his triplet sisters. When they became mobile, life became one accident-avoidance after another.
Most of Mudshark's skills are put to use helping his friends at school. He has a certain knack for finding anything that goes missing. The main adventure, in what I hope is Paulsen's first in a series of Mudshark adventures, is locating the school's mysteriously missing erasers. Yes, gradually every eraser in the school has disappeared.
The cast of characters in MUDSHARK is quite colorful. There's a talking parrot in the library, an easily excitable English teacher, a culturally educated custodian, and a "free-range" gerbil, just to name a few. I especially enjoyed the principal's announcements that opened each chapter. His running commentary on some sort of out-of-control situation in the faculty restroom was a hoot!
Aimed at an audience of 8-12 year olds, MUDSHARK is one of those fabulous Paulsen books that can be enjoyed by anyone from a beginning chapter book reader to a senior citizen who remembers what it's like to be a kid. At only 83 pages long, MUDSHARK is a quick way to pass the time and enjoy a laugh or two.
Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"
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