Skeeter and the Weasels

 "There sure are a lot of weasels."

Everywhere Skeeter looks, he sees weasels -- on the street, in his office, in the park. They sneak, and they slink, and they all wear gray trench coats and purple sunglasses. The problem is, no one else sees them!

All that changes when Skeeter meets Special Agent Ratilda from Rodential, the rodent mutual aid society. Together, they set off to track down the weasels and put an end to their nefarious doings.

Will Skeeter and Ratilda foil the weasels' Big Plan? Will Most Weasel J.R. Slitherwell finally meet his match? Will Skeeter get his job back and date the cat of his dreams? And what does that big red button really do, anyway? Find out in "Skeeter and the Weasels"!

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Aaron Shepard is the award-winning author of "The Baker's Dozen," "The Legend of Lightning Larry," "The Sea King's Daughter," and many more children's books. His stories have won him honors from the American Library Association, the New York Public Library, the Bank Street College of Education, the National Council for the Social Studies, and the American Folklore Society.

Anne L. Watson is the author/illustrator of "Katie Mouse and the Perfect Wedding," "Katie Mouse and the Christmas Door," and "The Secret of Gingerbread Village," as well as the author of numerous craft books and novels for adults. Her illustrations are imaginative collages made from photos of felted animals, miniatures, and real-life objects, along with graphic arts creations and textures from Etsy and elsewhere, all assembled and manipulated in Photoshop.

Aaron and Anne are married and now live in Bellingham, Washington.

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SAMPLE

Skeeter walked to the park and sat sadly on a bench. There were weasels behind the trees. There were weasels by the picnic tables. There were weasels around the playground.

"There sure are a lot of weasels," said Skeeter.

"Hold everything!" said a voice above him. "Did you say 'a lot of weasels'?"

He looked up, and there on a tree branch was a lady rat in a pink trench coat and purple sunglasses.

"Yes," said Skeeter. "A lot of weasels. There sure are."

"At last!" said the lady rat. "Someone else sees them, too!"

She dropped onto the bench and took off her sunglasses. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Special Agent Ratilda from Rodential, the rodent mutual aid society. You've heard of us, no doubt."

"Well, no, I can't say -- " began Skeeter.

"Sure, you have. Our motto? 'Get a piece of the cheese.' Right now, I'm on a secret mission. Top secret. Can you keep a secret?"

"Um, unless I forget and -- "

"Sure, you can. I'm looking into an alarming rise in the number of weasels. They're everywhere. But I don't have to tell you, because you see them, too. So, what's your name, cat?"

"I'm Skeeter," said Skeeter.

"Skeeter," said Ratilda. "Pretty dumb name, but you're a cat, so it fits. So, Skeeter, how would you like to join me on this perilous and possibly fatal mission."

"Oh, I don't think -- "

"Sure, you would. Follow me, Deputy Special Agent Skeeter." Ratilda put on her sunglasses, jumped off the bench, and started off.

"But I'm a cat!" called Skeeter.

"Nobody's perfect!" called Ratilda. "Come on!"