When ordinary third-grader Howie Bowles moves to a new house and a new school, he also takes on a new identity as Secret Agent Bean Burger. His detecting skills impress most of his classmates and gain him lots of attention, especially when he solves the Case of the Gum in the Drinking Fountain. Two people are critical of his guise, however: Mary Reily, a smart-alecky classmate who’s not impressed by anything and Mrs. Beagle, Howie’s wonderful teacher who really prefers ordinary third graders to secret agents. This easy chapter book deals with tough subjects like moving and popularity with humor and surprising depth. (Ages 7-9)

How do you make new friends?

It's hard for Howie Bowles when his family moves to a new town -- what if the kids at school don't like him? "Just be yourself" is his mother's advice, but wouldn't it be easier to be somebody else? Howie doesn't plan on making his classmates believe that he's actually a secret agent named Agent Bean Burger, but somehow that's what happens. Soon everyone is interested in him because he's a secret agent, and it's sort of like having friends, except that the other kids still don't know anything about Howie. And then a case comes along that he has to solve: someone's been spitting out their gum in the drinking fountains at school. In short chapters with snappy dialogue and winning pictures, this is a fast-paced story of a likable, worrisome boy -- a boy who finally does solve the case (it's the principal!), so Agent Bean Burger can take a vacation and Howie Bowles can be himself.