Nate the Great is a children's book series by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat. It focuses on the child detective Nate, who tries to solve mysteries around town with the help of his dog, Sludge. Not be confused with Big Nate.
Provides examples of the following tropes:
- Amateur Sleuth: Nate spends most of his time playing detective.
- Captain Obvious: Nate tends to point out blatantly obvious things in his narration:"We went to Annie's room. It was big. It had yellow walls, a yellow bed, a yellow chair, and a yellow desk. I, Nate the Great, was sure of one thing. Annie liked yellow."
- Catchphrase: "I, Nate the Great..."
- Cloud Cuckoolander: Rosamund is often described as strange, has No Social Skills, and is obsessed with cats.
- Incredibly Lame Pun: Rosamund tells Nate not to look for dog toys in a catalog.
- Literal-Minded: Nate "goes undercover" by hiding in a trash can.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Rosamund's cats are Super Hex, Big Hex, Plain Hex, and Little Hex.
- No Antagonist: Most of the stories involve Nate looking for lost objects or animals that were misplaced through sheer happenstance, with no malicious intent from anyone.
- Once an Episode: Nate describes Rosamund as "strange" at least once per book.
- Terse Talker: Nate usually speaks in very short sentences.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Nate really likes pancakes.
