The Possum Always Rings Twice (11) (Chet Gecko)

Get ready for muckraking time at Emerson Hicky Elementary.

The race is on for student council president, but it’s quickly getting fishier than the bottom of a pelican’s lunch box. Sandpiper candidate Viola Fuss wants to lead the student council, but her campaign is already running into trouble stickier than a spider’s handshake.

Someone is sending candidates ominous threats and posting signs with messages like FIR IS FIRST! and DOWN WITH FEATHERS. Meanwhile, kit fox Perry Winkel draws noisy playground crowds with speeches full of free bubble gum and grand promises.

Bully wolverine Ben Dova and his heavyweight pal Dum-Dum the badger are blocking the drinking fountains and roughing up any reptile in sight. Between exploding boys’ room toilets and secret meetings in the library, fourth grade is getting rougher than a wrestling match with a Gila monster.

Could someone be trying to rig the election? Good thing Chet and Natalie are around to expose the filthy frauds!

• School Stories: An election turns chaotic when third-grader Popper the tree frog campaigns for office while playground thugs organize an unruly union.
• Animal Books: Cool Beans, a shades-wearing possum librarian, advises the young sleuths while keeping a watchful eye over the official ballot boxes.
• Funny Books for Kids: Fast-talking lizard Chet Gecko and his sharp-witted mockingbird partner use hidden tape recorders and stakeouts to crack the case.
• Also by This Author: Clark the Shark: Too Many Treats, Clark the Shark and Clark the Shark and the Big Book Report.

BRUCE HALE is the author of Snoring Beauty, illustrated by Howard Fine, as well as the fifteen Chet Gecko mysteries. A popular speaker, teacher, and storyteller for children and adults, he lives in Santa Barbara, California.
www.brucehale.com