Trouble in Bugland: A Collection of Inspector Mantis Mysteries (Godine Storyteller) - Softcover

Kotzwinkle, William

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1567920705 ISBN 13: 9781567920703

Publisher: David R. Godine, Publisher, 2015

Synopsis

"The most engaging and cleverest reincarnation of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson yet." The Horn Book

Follow Inspector Mantis, of brilliant mind, supersensitive antennae, and iron grip, and his faithful sidekick Doctor Hopper, an accomplished violinist and long jumper, as they solve five entomological cases puzzling the populace of Victorian Bugland.
 
Joe Servello's color and pen-and-ink drawings bring exquisite detail to these tales: steam engines, deerstalkers, fog, and mandibles have never been more lovingly crosshatched.

About this title

From the Inside Flap

Now in its third printing: a collection of five detective stories with an all-insect cast of characters. Follow Inspector Mantis, of brilliant mind, supersensitive antennae, and iron grip, and his faithful sidekick Doctor Hopper, an accomplished violinist and long-jumper, along with a bevy of buggy bandits, as they solve entomological cases with clever sleuthing.

Going forth from his little cottage at 221B Flea Street, Inspector Mantis, accompanied by his trusted colleague Doctor Hopper, solves "The Case of the Missing Butterfly," "The Case of the Caterpillar's Head," and three other antennae-bending mysteries puzzling the populace of Victorian Bugland. Criminal detection, combined entomology, makes this, in the words of The Horn Book, "the most engaging and cleverest reincarnation of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson yet." Joe Servello's color and pen-&-ink drawings bring exquisite period detail to these tales: steam engines, deerstalkers, fog, and mandibles have never been more lovingly crosshatched.

Review

Do not miss! --Chicago Tribune

Excitement and humor! Children who know Conan Doyle's Holmes will most enjoy Trouble in Bugland. But even those who don't are likely to appreciate the book's sly mock seriousness and flights of rhetoric and imagination. --The New York Times Book Review

Clever and suspenseful! --School Library Journal, starred review

"Sherlock Holmes fans of all ages – and entomology nuts – must read Trouble in Bugland, a hilarious homage to Arthur Conan Doyle. Illustrator Joe Servello's handsome pictures in color and black and white are a grand accompaniment to Kotzwinkle's clever and playful stories." Newsweek

"Kotzwinkle and Servello have created a little gem that should appeal to children of all ages. Bravo, Joe and Bill! An encore, perhaps?" Philadelphia Inquirer

"A first rate presentation!" Detroit News

"The bizarrely fertile imagination of William Kotzwinkle takes off again in this collection... These stories reflect Kotzwinkle's devilishly sly play upon the Holmes canon and its accompanying idiosyncrasies." American Library Association Booklist

"This amusing collection of five short mysteries is a delightful takeoff... Joe Servello's colorful, detailed, and abundant drawings of the many legged creatures do much to enhance the Victorian atmosphere of the tales." Christian Science Monitor

Edition details

• Publisher: David R. Godine, Publisher
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1567920705
• ISBN 13: 9781567920703
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 5
• Number of pages: 190
• Illustrator: Servello Joe