Detective Gordon: A Case with a Bang

Illustrated in full color and packed with character and humor, this is a new whodunnit mystery in the award-winning Detective Gordon series, fun to read alone or aloud.

A Case with a Bang is the final book in the series of funny detective stories for early readers set in a friendly forest in which two determinedly fair police—retired-toad Gordon and the indefatigable mouse Buffy—solve the mystery and stop regularly to eat cake.

Night brings a humming, scraping sound in the woods. Someone has wrecked the badger’s trash can. Later, three large creatures are spotted up on the mountain.

Detective Buffy discovers this seemingly small case really is a dangerous mystery—she comes back from her first investigation flat as a gingerbread, rolled over by something huge and terrifying.

Back at the station, retired Detective Gordon is training a new young police assistant, and the cakes have run out in the forest bakery!

While all the animals cower at the police station, Buffy remembers Gordon’s stories about trolls. Is it possible they do exist? Taking Gordon’s advice about how everyone thinks differently, she finds a way to communicate with the giant creatures—perhaps not so terrifying after all.

The book leaves readers with a memorable Gordon message: Everyone thinks differently, strangers are welcome, cakes for everybody!

This final installment in the award-winning Detective Gordon series is a multi-layered philosophical story about good detective work involving all, kindness to newcomers and doing the right thing.

Winner of multiple awards and accolades, Detective Gordon is a mystery series with depth—perfect for reading alone for emerging readers, wonderful for reading aloud together as a chapter book.

Ulf Nilsson was a celebrated Swedish children’s writer, who wrote more than 100 books for all ages. He is the winner of numerous awards including the August Prize, the Astrid Lindgren Prize and the Swedish Academy’s Children’s Book Prize. His books have been translated into over a dozen languages and made into feature films, opera, radio, plays and other forms – even postage stamps.

Gitte Spee is a renowned artist from the academy of fine art and design in the Netherlands and St Martins School of Art in London. A leading children’s book illustrator, she has also written numerous books, published and translated around the world.

Translated from the Swedish edition by Julia Marshall.

Read all the Detective Gordon series:
Detective Gordon: The First Case
Detective Gordon: A Complicated Case
Detective Gordon: A Case in Any Case
Detective Gordon: A Case for Buffy

Praise for Detective Gordon: A Case with a Bang
“[J]ust as charming, gentle, wry, and entertaining as the rest of the series and anything that was created by A.A. Milne or Kenneth Grahame.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Nilsson excels at writing imaginative, gently amusing adventures, laced with unpretentious bits of wisdom.”—Booklist

“A warm-hearted tale that readers will want to immerse themselves in. Instant classics, this series would make for perfect classroom read-alouds and a just-right match for chapter book readers.”—School Library Journal

“Simple, colorful illustrations are adorable, the creatures and their evident emotions are captivating.”—Youth Services Book Review

“Full of humour, wit and a dash of philosophical whimsy. . . once you’ve read one you’ll want to devour them all!”—Readings, Australia

Praise for Detective Gordon: The First Case
“KLA-DUNK! Another winner.”—starred, Kirkus Reviews

“A must-have for chapter book collections.”—starred, School Library Journal

“Full of warm humour and wisdom…with a feather-light touch.”—Best Books of 2015, Horn Book

“A wonderful choice for independent reading.”—starred, Booklist