Detective LaRue: Letters from the Investigation

By Mark Teague

Book Overview

Ike LaRue--the devilish dog hero of Mark Teague's Book Sense Book of the Year, Dear Mrs. LaRue--goes from obedience school dropout to shrewd sleuth in this exceedingly funny sequel.

As if obedience school wasn't bad enough, Ike now finds himself in jail--wrongly accused (of course ) of terrorizing the Hibbins' cats & stealing their cat treats. Once again, he pleads his case to Mrs LaRue, who's vacationing in France, but to no avail. When a string of canary burglaries stalls the Snort City Police force's investigation--and reveals their crime-solving ineptitude--Ike flees custody and takes matters into his own paws. Expect more mad-cap comedy in Ike's daring escapades (real and imagined), as well as ingenious split-screen visuals from the incomparable Mark Teague.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0439458684
• ISBN13: 9780439458689
• Release Date: September 2004
• Publisher: Scholastic Press
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 9.7" x 12.2"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

A Book Review From a Spiritridge Third Grader

I read this jail breaking book called Detective LaRue. Two cats ran away from their home and a dog named Ike gets blamed. There is a jumbo sized dilemma but I can't tell you. The police are working on another case so Ike takes it into his own hand, I mean paw. You have to read the rest to find out what happens. I like this book because Ike dreams funny things like that he is in jail when he was with a nice police. I recommend this book to anyone because it is funny and good.

Detective LaRue: Letters from the Investigation =Excellent

Detective LaRue should have won the Caldecott award. It had a excellent storyline and perfect illustrations to match the mood. Why it lost to Kittens First Full Moon is quite a mystery to me. I would recommend it for ages 10-12.

A fun sequel

In Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letters from Obedience School, 2002, Ike the dog wrote plaintive letters describing his life "behind bars." He hopes his owner, Mrs. LaRue, will come to rescue him from obedience school. The wonderful humor came from the clever story and illustrations. The reader can compare colorful reality with Ike's black and white point of view. In his new book Ike is writing letters to Mrs. LaRue again while she is on vacation in Europe. This time he is a suspect in the disappearance of the Hibbins cats. Feeling completely misjudged, Ike mails his owner pleas and updates from the police station where he has been taken into custody. Forced to flee and on the lam, he attempts to solve the mystery of the cats' disappearance as well as a series of canary burglaries. Once again the detailed illustrations and articles from the Snort City Register/Gazette hold the key to the story and the laughs. This book is a very entertaining sequel. This is a must-read for fans of Ike!