The Haunted Toolshed

This farcical romp launches the Joe Sherlock, Kid Detective series and marks Keane's children's book debut. Appropriately known by his surname alone, the boy narrator declares, "I was born with a natural gift for solving mysteries." Perhaps, yet this slapstick-laced story of his first case reveals some of Sherlock's bumbling moves, many of which are certainly chuckle-worthy. A perplexed neighbor hires Sherlock to get to the bottom of some curious goings-on: moaning noises emanate from his toolshed, and a bundt cake baked by the man's mother (who suffers from a case of flatulence) has mysteriously disappeared from the kitchen—as has his mother's glass eye. Sherlock, equipped with his sister Hailey's "Girl Chat Sleepover backpack" and matching walkie-talkie, sets off into the night to track down the culprit. His overactive imagination kicks in, and he suspects the Grim Reaper is tapping him on the back and that a Tyrannosaurus rex is going to snatch him up (and swallow him whole "like a Swedish meatball"). As Keane's comically convoluted plot proceeds, Hailey delivers some of the liveliest lines. Kids looking for a robust mystery may want to venture elsewhere, but reluctant readers will welcome the brief chapters (presented in large type), zany half-tone spot art (also by Keane) and zippy pace. More of Sherlock's shenanigans fill The Neighborhood Stink (0-06-076187-3; paper 0-06-076186-5), due the same month. Ages 7-10. (July)