Nate the Great Goes Undercover

Nate the Great #2

by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat, Marc Simont (Illustrator)

Nate the Great has his first night case! "Detective work is not fun and games," Nate explains. "Detective work is dirty garbage cans instead of clean beds. Detective work is banana peels, dishrags, milk cartons, floor sweepings, cigar ashes, fleas, and me..."

It's a tough case. Somebody is raiding Oliver's garbage can each night, but who? The list of suspects is long--Rosamond and Esmeralda, the girls down the street; Rosamond's cats; and all the shrews, moles skunks, birds, and racoons in the neighborhood. Nate courageousely encounters a skunk (nose first) and a telephone pole (head on), but not until he goes under cover of the garbage-can lid does he narrow the suspects down to one.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Childrens, Picture Books, Chapter Books, Humor, Detective

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

Marjorie Weinman Sharmat was an American children's writer. She wrote more than 130 books for children and teens and her books have been translated into several languages. They have won awards including Book of the Year by the Library of Congress or have become selections by the Literary Guild.
Perhaps Sharmat's most popular work features the child detective Nate the Great. He was inspired by and named after her father, who lived to see the first Nate book published. One story, Nate the Great Goes Undercover, was adapted as a made-for-TV movie that won the Los Angeles International Children's Film Festival Award. Sharmat's husband Mitchell Sharmat expanded Nate's storyline by creating Olivia Sharp, his cousin and fellow detective. Husband and wife wrote four Olivia Sharp books published 1989 to 1991. During the 1990s, their son Craig Sharmat (then in his thirties) wrote three Nate books with his mother. In the late 2010s, their other son Andrew Sharmat co-wrote the last two Nate books written while Marjorie Weinman Sharmat was alive. With Marjorie Weinman Sharmat's passing in 2019 Andrew has continued writing the series with Nate the Great and the Earth Day Robot (2021).
In the mid-1980s Sharmat wrote three books published in 1984 and 1985 under the pseudonym Wendy Andrews.
Sharmat also wrote the Sorority Sisters series, eight short novels published in 1986 and 1987. They are romantic fiction with a sense of humor. They are set in a California public high school (day school for ages 14 to 18, approximately).

Reviews

[Mary-Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

The boys enjoyed trying to solve the mystery and my kindergartener liked that he could read some of it on his own.

[Angela Barrera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Más 3.5

"Ahora sabía por qué Esmeralda siempre tiene la boca abierta: Porque dice cosas sabias"

Se disfrutó jajajajajsjs.
No es el mejor libro infantil que he leído, pero me entretuvo.
El culpable es muy evidente (no sé si para un/a niño/a también)

Me hizo pasar un buen rato y me sacó unas cuantas risas.
"- Ven a ver mi basura - dijo Oliverio
Yo, el Gran Fercho, he tenido mejores invitaciones"

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is E's favorite.

[Gabriella Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book won the Kirkus Choice Book of the Year. It is appropriate for 1st through 2nd grade. Nate gets another case to solve. This time there's a raider in Oliver's trashcan and he needs the case solved. Nate decides to go undercover and hide in the trash can, only to discover it was a dog named Sludge the whole time. This book is a great child's detective story. The storyline is very comprehensible and enjoyable. It's interesting from beginning until end. This book is a great independent read for children interested in the mystery genre and provided in the classroom library. This book could be a great choice for students to complete writing exercises on, identifying the plot, climax, and details throughout the story.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

My 6 year old son and I thought it was very obvious who had been getting into Oliver's garbage can at night. Yet, Nate the Great still checks with two kids before assuming an animal has gotten into the garbage can. Isn't that what you would assume too? Some little kid is going to get up during the night and rustle through someone else's garbage. Nate actually asks a kid, "Do you eat garbage?"
and to another kid he says, "Do you get up at night to visit Oliver's garbage can?" Come on, those are ridiculous questions to ask someone. My son wanted me to rate this book as 1 star but since it had us laughing so hard I bumped it up a star. Sometimes bad books make for great entertainment!

[C.G.Koens · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars because, look...these are not great literature...but they're cute stories and my 4 younger kids(ages 7-11) think they're a hoot. In this case, Nate's adventures as a detective include a run-in with a stinky skunk, the introduction of his dog, and a satisfying conclusion as Nate the Great discovers who is responsible for tipping over Oliver's garbage can...and the culprit is closer to home than Nate first suspects. A cute book for a bedtime read, or a good transition book for readers who are ready for a little bit more.

[Paulina Paredes · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book, this is Nate's first mission at night so he must go undercover to find out who is tilting the trash! This story keeps you on feet to try and see who tilts it, when he goes undercover he thinks that its a skunk! However, the trash is still tilted the next morning and Nate goes undercover again. When he wakes up from the trash can he is still standing and find his dog right in front of him and he realizes that he is tired of pancakes so Nate makes sure to feed him a bowl of food and a bone for him!

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nate the Great Goes Undercover (1974) by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat, illustrated by Marc Simont is the second book in the long series featuring the boy detective who loves solving mysteries as much as he does eating pancakes. In this entry, Nate is asked to solve the crime of Oliver's garbage can that is tipped over every night. Who is the culprit? Person or animal? And more importantly, what is the motive? It's a very early step-into-reading book. A step behind Encyclopedia Brown. Fun illustrations, and wacky hippie-like characters. My rating - 3/5

[nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seeped in night with blue and shadowed drawings, playing with expectations and reality. How right are we actually? How wrong can we be? And is it all that bad to be wrong?

We must own up to how wrong we can be. A delightful lesson seeped with the broody vibes Shamat carries over from the first book.

🥮🥮🥮

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Or find other thoughts on books and films here.

[Marco den Ouden · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Nate the Great early readers by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat are excellent and intriguing books for the early reader. In this one, young Nate tries to find out who has been tipping over his neighbour Oliver's garbage can. With his new trusty dog Sludge as his sidekick, Nate sets out to solve the mystery. He does some undercover work to find the answer.

The book is amusing and witty and will be very appealing to young readers.

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our oldest is just old enough to appreciate longer stories, and this one is his current obsession. Seeing him read this with his grandparents is perfection and brings back great memories of my own experience with the Nate the Great books. Currently, I really appreciate how the story and sentences are simple and straightforward but the vocabulary is pretty varied. Elliott loves to stop the story and ask what words mean and it is such a joy to watch him learn.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nate the Great, Junior Detective and pancake lover, takes on the case of the Garbage Snatcher. This is Nate the Great first night time case. He investigates and hunts for clues to discover who, or what is knocking over Oliver the pest garbage cans during the night. What he discovers in breaking the case, and finding the culprit amazes him.

[Anjanette Barr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nate the Great books are wonderful for co-reading. They have an "early chapter book" feel, with simple sentences, but plenty of the vocab is challenging for 6/7/8 year olds, and reading every-other-page together is a good way to help them work through new sight words. This story is clever and humorous, as usual.

[Nicole Hernandez · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the story Nate the Great has his first night case as a detective, which is hard work. He has to go undercover to see who or what is tilting the trash. This was not one of my favorites, but I feel like students will enjoy the suspense and mystery the story has to offer. It might be used for a transition book.

[Diz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story more than some of the other Nate the Great stories because Nate has to do a stakeout in a garbage can. That gets a good reaction from the kids as they imagine having to sit in a garbage can at night. A wild animal encounter makes this story more interesting as well.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some dated references, but the straightforward sentence structure makes it a good early chapter book.

I also like that Nate goes to the library to research. Interesting extra material at the end too.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about Nate the Great, he is an detective, he works alone and he loves pancakes. This time he is going to find out the garbage snatcher of Oliver’s garbage can. Is he going to solve the case or not? READ THE BOOK TO FIND OUT!!!

[Shark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This made me (the parent) laugh out loud! :)

Preschoolers' reviews:
"I learned that Sludge was tired of Nate's pancakes. I loved the whole thing."

"That was bad when Nate the Great went under the trash can. That's how he went undercover."

[sabri]

Este libro es el primero que recuerdo haber leído por mi cuenta, lo habré leído cuando tenía unos 9 años. Estuve un montón de tiempo buscándolo y no lo encontraba asique ahora estoy feliz de haberlo encontrado🥺

[Alejandra S. V. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este fue mi primer libro del plan lector en mi colegio en primero de primaria, aún a mis 24 años lo conservo y aún me sigue emocionado. Este libro no solo determinó mi inicio en la lectura sino también en la novela de detectives que se sigue manteniendo como uno de mis géneros favoritos.

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

BL 2.4
0.5 pts

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book because I like mysteries. I also enjoyed this book because I liked the part when Nate the Great found out who was the garbage snatcher.

[Ita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this because it's going to be performed at my theater.

This is a bit younger thank I prefer, hence only 3 stars. A simple story perfect for 8 year olds.

[mike sung · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a story about kid detective. His name is a nate and great. He is very smart, very witty detective. and many characterful kids are in there. This book looks like useful to the lower grades.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

6 year old liked it. No chapters. Most of the jokes after the story weren’t great.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Logan: Nate the Great thought he solved the mystery, but he hadn't yet. I solved the mystery before Nate the Great! That was fun.

[Lorraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is, ahem, great. Nate is a budding little cynic, and his narrative voice is really funny. Lots of text and a few challenging vocab words for my first grader.

[Jacob · Rating 5 out of 5]

it’s funny. he’s a good detective!

[Tripp Kastroll · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it when he got in the trash can!

[Stephanie Sheaffer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun chapter book series with simple text and corresponding illustrations on almost every page. Published in 1974, this is book #2 in the series. Ages 5-9.