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Summary
Summary
Ace hits another one out of the ballpark.
Ace Lacewing, Bug Detective, is back in his third crime-solving adventure--and this time he's in the big leagues. The Motham City Stinkbugs finally have a chance at winning the pennant, but somebody has stolen Bugsy Goldwing's lucky bat. Was it Mickey Mantis, Fly Cobb, Derek Skeeter, or Big Hoppi Leafhopper? When Ace takes the mound, bad bugs are going to strike out.
Teeming with puns and sight gags, the latest Ace Lacewing mystery will have young readers turning the pages and looking for clues everywhere.
Author Notes
Ace hits another one out of the ballpark. Ace Lacewing, Bug Detective, is back in his third crime-solving adventure-and this time he's in the big leagues. The Motham City Stinkbugs finally have a chance at winning the pennant, but somebody has stolen Bugsy Goldwing's lucky bat. Was it Mickey Mantis, Fly Cobb, Derek Skeeter, or Big Hoppi Leafhopper? When Ace takes the mound, bad bugs are going to strike out. Teeming with puns and sight gags, the latest Ace Lacewing mystery will have young readers turning the pages and looking for clues everywhere.
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-This adventure takes the buggy private investigator into the world of baseball. Bugsy Goldwing, the star rookie player for the Stinkbugs, Motham City's home team, has his lucky bat stolen right before a big game, and Ace is hired to find it. The trail takes him to ballparks and locker rooms throughout the league. The complicated story unravels slowly and reveals the thief to be Bugsy's competition for the MVP award. The bat is found cracked. But Bugsy realizes that it's not the bat; it's his ability and he knocks the ball out of the park. The case is solved. The Photoshop-produced illustrations are crisp and colorful, although in rather flat hues. The story has a noir feel to it, as the detectives all wear trench coats and talk tough. The lengthy text is laden with insect jokes, puns, and bug names and the plot is rather convoluted. Nonetheless, fans of the previous two Ace Lacewing titles will enjoy this one.-Ieva Bates, Ann Arbor District Library, MI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
The bug detective's third picture book mystery concerns a stolen lucky baseball bat. The wordy, pun-filled story, narrated in the style of hard-boiled detective fiction, will likely appeal more to adults than kids, with references to Mickey Mantis, Fly Cobb, and Big Hoppi and jokes such as "the roach almost jumped out of his exoskeleton." Gaudy, somewhat entertaining digital pictures illustrate events. (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Can an insect shamus solve the case of the missing bat? Motham City is abuzz with the surprise success of its (usually pathetic) baseball team, the Stinkbugs, led by rookie Bugsy Goldwing. But disaster strikes when somebody steals Bugsy's bat. Bugsy's surrogate mother, Madame Damselfly, turns to Motham's most famous gumshoe, Ace Lacewing. With sultry Gal Friday Xerces (a green-haired butterfly beauty), the hard-boiled Ace questions Bugsy's fellow orphansturned-rivals Big Mickey Mantis, Derek Skeeter, Fly Cobb et al., and even travels with the team for their final away game before the playoffs. After an attack on the Stinkbugs coach, Ace is able to unravel the mystery in time for the team to rally and win the game. Part mystery, part sports novel, part spoof, Biedrzycki's sublime fable is also full of fun insect facts. His generous text, narrated by Ace in vintage Chandler fashion, may suit an older age group than his Photoshop illustrations, but both have appeal. (Picture book. 5-10)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Excerpts
Excerpts
My gal Xerces and I are big Stinkbug fans. We were counting the days to the play-offs when a gorgeous damselfly fluttered into my office. Her name was Madame Damselfly. She was a legend in Motham City: a no-nonsense lady with a heart of gold and a wicked curveball. Hundreds of hard-luck little bugs had grown up in her Li'l Larva Orphanage--and more than a few ended up in the Bug Leagues. She'd known Bugsy ever since he was a little stinker. "Bugsy has a problem, detective," said the damselfly. Excerpted from Ace Lacewing, Bug Detective: The Big Swat by David Biedrzycki All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
