Nate the Great and the Fishy Prize (1985)

It's hard to write mysteries for children. This one has a missing prize made from a tunafish can. Children can guess along with Nate. ( )

Nate the Great, boy detective, is back on the case to solve the mystery of the missing prize for the Smartest Dog contest, in this book for beginning independent readers. Nate is about to enter his intelligent but dirty dog, Sludge, in the Smartest Pet contest, when the prize mysteriously disappears. Nate and Sludge have only an hour to follow all the clues and find it before the contest, and the whole thing ends with a fishy twist! This well written and illustrated book will be a big hit with new readers who are able to handle a full page of text (appx. 15 lines), RL 2.1. The book also includes bonus material including animal facts, riddles, activities, and a short quiz! ( )

Though it means Nate can't get his dog ready for the smartest pet contest, he agrees to search for the missing prize for the contest.