Big Bad Detective Agency

by Bruce Hale

From the comic genius behind CHET GECKO comes a new kind of fairy tale hero -- and a big, bad, crime-solving adventure!



The houses of all Three (not-so-) Little Pigs were broken into and ransacked, and the Pigs are squealing for justice. So Prince Tyrone, ruler of Fairylandia, drags in the obvious suspect: Wolfgang.



The lone wolf has big teeth, sharp claws, no alibi -- and a single day to find the real culprit and clear his big bad name. When Wolf (reluctantly) teams up with the fourth Little Pig to crack the case, the Big Bad Detective Agency -- and an adventure way funnier than your average fairy tale -- is off to a howling start!

Genres: Mystery, Fantasy, Fairy Tales, Juvenile, Childrens, Chapter Books, Humor

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 27, 2015

About the author

A serious book addict, Bruce wanted to be a children's book author since he was in 4th grade (right after he got over wanting to be a pirate, Tarzan, and Daniel Boone). Today he's the author-illustrator of over 70 seriously funny books for kids, so some dreams do come true.

The Malted Falcon, one of his Chet Gecko Mysteries series, was an Edgar Award finalist, and Murder, My Tweet won a Little D Award for Juvenile Humor Writing. Bruce has written everything from picture books and easy readers, to graphic novels and novels.

Bruce's recent Monstertown Mysteries series blends horror and humor, based on his childhood love of monster movies. His other series include Class Pets, about the secret lives of classroom pets, and the forthcoming Outerspace Mystery Pizza Club books, due in 2024.

A Fulbright Scholar (in Storytelling), Bruce is also a popular speaker, both in the U.S. and internationally. He lives in Santa Barbara with his wife and knuckleheaded dog Riley. When he's not writing or reading, you may find him hiking, kickboxing, or singing with a latin-jazz band called Mezcal Martini.

Reviews

[Kathryn]

Hmm. Kind of a Shrek vibe. Adults will probably get more out of it than the kids and I can kind of appreciate the cleverness but I didn't really like the type of humor here and it was a DNF for us. I agree with Stephanie P's review: "pretty much all of the characters are worse people than in their original fairytale and my son didn't like that. I didn't really care for how much sarcasm, snarkiness, and name calling there was in a kid's book."

[AK 김 승 주 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wolfgang is in trouble. Someone has robbed the "Little Pigs'" house, and the pigs are obviously looking at Wolfgang in outrage. Teaming up with the Fourth Little pig, Wolfgang must find his way to solving this mystery and prove his innocence!

[AMY · Rating 5 out of 5]

121 pages. A very funny story. Cleverly done. It will keep you guessing as to who really attacked the three little pigs' houses up until the end. Bravo! Nice story. Highly recommended for elementary kids.

[Teresa Fannin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay. I'm a fan. I think Bruce writes a mystery full of humor, good characters and just the right amount of suspense. The Big Bad Detective Agency is no exception. This is not a retelling of the original tale, the houses are not destroyed, but trashed and the three little pigs are not so little. The Prince is constantly upset because he's not king, and he doesn't know why. The police admit they have no evidence on the Big Bad Wolf, who wants to be called Wolfgang. The Prince develops a migraine and leaves it to the police captain. He decides to let Wolfgang figure out who trashed the house by the end of the day or be sent to the dungeon to eat only porridge, because even if Wolfgang didn't do it, he's not innocent. Joined by the three little pigs baby brother, Ferkel, the Wolf upsets a few FAIRYTALE creatures who are not everything we've been led to believe as he interviews suspects. With just minutes left before it's the dungeon and a life of eating porridge, Wolfgang figures out who trashed the houses and why. There is a gathering at the castle and Wolfgang and Ferkel now work together to identify the criminal, not your first guess, or even your second. This is a good closure to a fun mystery.

[Lesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read for anyone who likes fractured fairy tales. Bruce Hale delivers a fantastically hilarious story that had me turning pages until the very end. Once I started this book I couldn't turn it down. It's perfect for early readers and will have the kids in your life laughing out loud. Read it!

[Kirsten Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a fun read for me and it is sure to be loved by children who enjoy fairy tales with a twist as well. For those who are interested in the genre, but don't want to read about princesses or kisses saving the day, you've got the Big Bad Wolf and the smallest pig in the land teaming up together and solving problems instead. What a fun twist on the fractured fairy tale genre!

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining fractured fairy tale early chapter book. In the land of Fairylandia, Wolfgang is accused of trashing the homes of the Three Pigs and sets out to proof his innocence. Young readers who know their fairy tales will find this laugh out loud funny. Great read aloud story.

[Janssen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kind of lame - I was reading it aloud to my four-year-old and she lost interest about 3/4 of the way through (I couldn't blame her). I read the last couple of chapters on my own just to finish it.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book because of all the options on who the convict could be.

[A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Citation: Hale, B. (2015). Big bad detective agency. New York, NY: Scholastic Press.

Summary: In Fairylandia, the big bad wolf, Wolfgang, has been accused by the three little pigs of breaking into their houses. The wolf says he’s innocent and the pigs say he is guilty. The captain of the police tells Wolfgang that he must prove himself innocent by finding the real intruder. Wolfgang is soon joined by the little known fourth pig, Ferkel, on his mission. Wolfgang and Ferkel meet with Jack, Goldilocks, Cinderella, and Hansel and Gretel, all who have alibis and aren’t quite like their original fairy tales. It turns out that the three little pigs’ mom trashed their houses, because she wanted all of her piglets home with her again. This book is appropriate for grades 1-3.

Discussion Questions:
1. What fairy tale character could hire the Big Bad Detective Agency to investigate a crime? Why?
2. There are lots of different fairy tale characters presented in the book that aren’t quite like their original story. Which fairy tale character’s story would you retell and how?
3. How would you feel if you were falsely accused of a crime you didn’t commit like Wolfgang was?
4. The witch was complaining about her house being made of gingerbread. What are the potential issues to having a gingerbread house?
5. How does this story compare to the original “The Three Little Pigs” story? What is the same? What is different?

[Stephanie P (Because My Mother Read) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this with my son because he is obsessed with the story of the 3 Little Pigs. He has a pretty long attention span for books but this one took us quite a while to get through and I even skimmed some passages for him. Granted, he is younger than the intended audience and really wanted more pictures. I love fractured fairy tales so that was fun, although pretty much all of the characters are worse people than in their original fairytale and my son didn't like that. I didn't really care for how much sarcasm, snarkiness, and name calling there was in a kid's book.

[Ruth Elliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

A grade 4 teacher was looking for some mystery books to use for literature circles in her class. I suggested this one. I decided to read it before she started using it. It was wonderful. It has so many of the elements of a detective story (reluctant detective, eager sidekick, misleading clues, detective attacked). As well, for those who love fairy tales, there are references to many characters from fairy tales.

I think this would be a good read aloud as an introduction to a mystery unit.

[Miss Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

gr 2-4 121pgs


The Big Bad Wolf is accused of damaging the homes of the three "little" pigs, but he is innocent. As the wolf searches for clues, with the help of the pigs' youngest brother, he hopes to save himself from being locked in jail and being fed nothing but porridge!

Cute mystery with a nice little twist. I would recommend this book to readers interested in fairy tale retellings, but not ready for the longer Fairy Tale Detective series

[Carole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wolfgang wolf has a bad reputation and because of this he is the first suspect when the three little pigs' houses are ransacked and all the food is taken. The fourth little pig offers to help Wolfgang find the real culprit. After they solve the crime the pig persuades Wolfgang to form the Big Bad Detective Agency.

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good solid fun! I could have done without the hints of transphobic misogyny in having the wolf dress in granny's clothing for a laugh, but given that the rest of the story is great I think that's something to talk about with your young reader and not something that should keep this book out of anybody's hands.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't say I was "wowed" by this as a read-aloud, but generally we enjoyed it. I think I expected a few more laughs and unfortunately I kept forgetting what the crime was that the wolf had allegedly committed. Would be good for beginning chapter book readers, however, given that the fairy tale characters are so familiar and there was generous line-spacing for easy readability.

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lighthearted, funny book that tells you everything that is wrong about all the fairy tales you have ever read while also sharing a new mystery plot. Quick read with large font and a few pictures which makes it great for kids who want to read a chapter book but are slightly intimidated by them.

[Christina (Confessions of a Book Addict) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute book that I read-aloud to my son. If you have a child that is a fan of fairy tales, then he/she will appreciate all the cameos from Goldilocks, Jack, Cinderella, etc. It's a fun into the mystery genre.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute little chapter book. My 6yo was invested and curious as to who the 'bad guy' was through the entire thing. Small illustrations throughout helped him with characters and made him laugh at scenes that might have been tough for him to imagine.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this with my kids before bed. It was very cute and funny. It is a YHBA book and my oldest is doing Battle of the Books this year so we all read it. Quick pace and easy plot line.

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ferkle is a detective and he is full of bubbly ness.

[Karen Piedra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious!

[Jason Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creative. My son demands the sequel it sets up!

[Israa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some bad words, rude humor, and lots of name calling. I didn’t see a moral or lesson to the story. I can’t use this in the classroom, even though it was funny.

[Stephanie Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute book! I've been easing my boys into chapter books with less pictures and this one held their attention pretty well for the most part!

[Livvy Weaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of my absolute favorite books

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

The big bad wolf is trying to clear his name when the pigs accuse him of blowing their houses down. I enjoyed a spin on this fairy tale as a chapter book.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary:
"Big Bad Detective Agency" stems from the well-known "Three Little Pigs" story. It contains the three little pigs and the big bad wolf, as well as characters from other famous stories and fairytales such as: Goldie Locks, Hansel and Gretel, Puss in Boots, Cinderella, and more. In the book, two of the three little pigs' houses are trashed and the pigs think they know exactly who did it. The big bad wolf, who prefers to be called by his real name, Wolfgang, is accused of the crime. However, Wolfgang is determined to prove his innocence. So, he begins his adventure of trying to find who is really responsible for the crime, but it turns out, he's not so good at solving mysteries. Intrigued by the situation, the youngest of the three pigs, Ferkel, offers Wolfgang his assistance. Ferkel is determined to move out of his mother's house, but the deal is that he must have a job to do that. So, he wants to try out being a detective. Ferkel convinces Wolfgang that he can help, and they set out on a quest to find the culprit. Want to know what happens to Wolfgang? Do they find the criminal? Will Wolfgang ever get rid of his "big bad" reputation? Read to find out! This book is a difficult one to put down. A great early chapter book!

Activity:
While in the process of reading the book, or before finishing, have discussions in which the students share their thoughts and predictions on who is guilty and why they think this.
After completing the book, discuss with the students what parts of the book are the same as the original "Three Little Pigs" book, and which parts are different. Perhaps make a Venn Diagram to help.

Citation:
Hale, B. (2015). Big bad detective agency. New York, NY: Scholastic Press.

[Thorey Ellis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun twist on traditional fairy tales. This story uses all of the familiar characters, but gives the reader a new perspective on the stories and the characters.

[Madison B · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a amazing I liked how they thought they who it was but they thought differently