A Chet Gecko Mystery- From Russia With Lunch

From Russia With Lunch
By Bruce Hale

This book surprised me. I read it, my first Chet Gecko mystery, without having high expectations for it. A series about a gecko with a cutesy title aimed at third graders did not seem to hold much promise as a good read. I was greatly mistaken.
From Russia With Love is filled with wonderful language. As a teacher in a school where the majority of students are second language learners, I think this book is a fabulous way to introduce children to the wonders of the English language. To really explain this, I must include excerpts from the book.
First, the names of the characters are very clever: Natalie Attired, Tanya Lightov, and Pete Moss. While the students reading the book may not “get it,” the adults using it as a read aloud will certainly be entertained. Next, I have selected some parts of the book which highlight the author’s clever use of idiom and figurative language.
“The last dribbles of lunch period were leaking out, like the sauce from a Sloppy Junebug sandwich.”
“Mrs. Bagoong folder her thick arms. ‘I don’t like the crisp of her bacon.’ ‘You think she might be a few eggs short of an omelet?’ I asked.”
“The badger turned uglier than a plate of broccoli at breakfast.”
And my personal favorite: “Blue doesn’t even come close to describing my mood that afternoon. Kids sent to bed without supper are blue. I was gloom-founded, hurtin’ for certain, down in the Dumpster, majorly mope-ified.”
Taking the time to read this book with second language learners (and with native English speakers) opens up a world of idioms and common (and some not-so-common) expressions for such students. What a wonderful way to get students to want to learn the idioms—because it will help them understand the story.
And the story itself is fun. A good third grade reader will be able to understand the story, but the language will be best understood by a more mature reader. Don’t be fooled by its cover—this book will also be greatly enjoyed by fourth, fifth and even sixth graders as well.