SAYGAR THE DETECTIVE

Jurado’s Saygar, an ant, is back for a new adventure in this children’s chapter book, this time as a detective solving a missing person case.

Saygar isn’t an ordinary ant; he’s fully kid-sized and needs to eat constantly to keep from shrinking. You’d think it would be tough for anxious third grader Joseph Mateo to keep his science project–turned–best friend (the reasons for Saygar’s startling size remain a mystery) under wraps, but Saygar actually masquerades rather well as a student in Joseph’s class. By the time this third installment in the Saygar series takes place, Joseph is well practiced at deceiving everyone. This includes his own Spanish-speaking family, which unfortunately includes two members that he wishes he didn’t have to know at all: his cousins Julia, a 4-year-old, and Saul Sam, a toddler also known as Little Noodle. When Joseph’s mom leaves him and Saygar to babysit these two troublemakers, Little Noodle disappears, and it’s up to Joseph, Julia, their neighbor Amanda Chavez, and Detective Saygar to find him in their Texas town before the adults come home from running errands. Joseph laments, “I wanted to un-family Little Noodle, but I didn’t want to get rid of him.” This early elementary chapter book mystery drops enticing clues for readers in an entertaining, often humorous manner that still manages to explore deeper themes, especially those regarding family. The book is peppered with illustrator Villalobos’ fun, cartoonish black-and-white drawings that highlight key moments of Jurado’s story. The plot moves at a steady pace that incorporates the danger of local villains (like the mean neighborhood kid known as the Moose), wacky hijinks (hiding Saygar’s true identity as an ant), and kooky neighbors (Mrs. Rosales and her many cats). This book may appeal to fans of series like the Geronimo Stilton books by Elisabetta Dami and Tadgh Bentley’s Dino Detectives, which similarly keep their readers on their toes.

A tightly written early readers mystery that will leave kids hungry for more.