paul the potato
My name is Nicolas. I’m 10 years old, have wavy brown hair and live in Boston MA with my mom and Paul, the potato detective.
Wait!! Before you put this book away and look for something with a more.. likely and sensible plot, let me explain.
You are probably asking yourself, how does a potato become a detective?
No. He was not bitten by a radioactive spider that turned him into super private eye.
No. He is not from an alien race of super-sleuths that crash landed into earth.
He is really a potato.
His name is Paul.
He is not in my imagination.
He solves crimes.
He also might have a drinking problem.
I also have a bunch of friends I’ve made since N&P Detectives (that’s the name of our agency) got started. Jonathan is always ready for the next adventure, the crazier the better. And Caroline is just incredibly smart and still a mystery to me. But I trust her with my life.
“Hey Mom, What’s for breakfast?”
“The usual,” my mother replies.
She walks over a moment later and places a hot plate of rice, beans, fried plantains, two fried eggs and a couple of tortillas in front of me. She smiles. I love my mom.
I grab a fork and start stuffing the hot food into my mouth. mmm. So good!
My mom returns and places a fresh squeezed glass of juice in front of me. Today it’s jalapeno pineapple juice. I smile up at her.
Now, let’s begin the next case…
Will there be epic pirate sword fighting? Argh!
Will there be treasure? Arrrggh??
Will there be ice cream? Arrrrgggghhhh!!
Released 2019, 101 pages
Detective Paul the Potato’s earliest books are also the most beloved introducing all the main characters Nicolas, Jonathan, Caroline and of course Paul the Potato! Includes the three original children’s mystery stories:
- The Case of the Missing Battleship
- Killer on the Loose
- Murder Mystery
Released 2019, 67 pages
Captain Sam Bellamy, legendary pirate and Robin Hood of the ocean ran his ship aground on Cape Cod in a storm and died at sea with millions in gold and other treasure. Or did he? A 300 year old mystery is about to be solved by N&P detectives.
Will there be epic pirate sword fighting? Argh!
Will there be treasure? Arrrggh??
Will there be ice cream? Arrrrgggghhhh!!
Released 2019, 71 pages
The summer is almost over and Nicolas, Paul and Jonathan visit a traveling carnival in a nearby New England town. What begins as a fun day out eating kettle corn, amusement rides and sipping lemonade quickly spirals into a dangerous game between Nicolas and his friends and a mysterious person who is sabotaging the amusement rides and putting everyone at the carnival in danger.
Released 2019, 75 pages
George Parkman disappeared in November of 1849. His body, or at least what remained of it, was found in the lab of John White Webster, a professor at Harvard Medical School.
What does this have to do with Nicolas and Paul? Well 170 years later they received the following message:
N&P Detectives,
My name is Harriet Dabney. I got your information from my classmate Emma who said you could help me. I have a ghost problem that I need your help with.
I work as a volunteer at the Parkman House at 33 Beacon St. and we have been having all sorts of paranormal things going on and people are getting scared.
I really need your help!
Harriet D.
Caroline has a tracking device in my backpack?
It’s called a THROW pillow for a reason.
The Ghost of George Parkman!
Who ya gonna call? N&P Detectives!
Released 2019, 95 pages
Paul and Nicolas are back!
Nicolas goes on an overnight trip to the Boston Science Museum with his friends Caroline, Emma, Lucy and Jonathan only to stumble into a mystery where a supervillain in a lab coat appears to be stealing precious artifacts from the museum. Why? What’s really going on? Why do they have sidekick named Timmy the Test Tube?
Polar Bear Ninjas!
Disney Descendant Dance Routines!
What the Pineapple?!
Released 2019, 88 pages
Nicolas Almeida was looking forward to his 11th birthday, but things go horribly wrong when a robot toy he received as a present is taken over by hackers.
The robot has a knife!
Demonic security system!
Who hacks a smoothie machine??
Released in 2020, 119 pages
N&P Detectives are hired to investigate a missing necklace apparently stolen from a young woman at the Boston School for the Deaf. The necklace was Emily’s mother’s and was given to her just before her mom died and means the world to her. It soon becomes clear that this was one of a string of incidents and Nicolas and Paul must race against time to catch the thief and recover the necklace before it is lost forever.
Nicolas and Paul learn sign language! (Wait, how could a potato sign?)
Secret Passages!
Walls that sneeze??
It’s 0-60 in 3.5, baby you got the keys shut up and drive, drive, drive
Released 2020, 256 pages
Nicolas and Paul finally travel to Peru! After so much talk by Elena and Paul about this beautiful country and so many Peruvian inspired foods you knew we were bound to end up there right?
What started out as an relaxing trip to Elena and Paul’s birthplace to visit family and eat exotic Peruvian foods turns into an adventure through ancient ruins and historical sites to find the source of the mysterious flute music that wakes Nicolas up every night. Travel with N&P detectives to Peru, and discover the history of this magical land before the Spanish and Incas inhabited the Andean region.
Ancient Ruins!
A mysterious young girl in a gold dress
Oh how cute the Alpacas are!
We’re going to eat them for dinner??!
The ancient Peruvians invented dabb’ing?
Released 2022, 127 pages
Nicolas and his friends Jonathan, Caroline, Emma visit the tall ship festival in Boson Harbor. As it turns out Nicolas crosses paths with Evelyn, the girl he met the previous summer on her family’s pirate ship modeled after Blackbeard’s ship Queen Anne’s Revenge. But things go wrong when precious objects start disappearing from the ships docked there and all signs point to pirates and Evelyn’s family. Nicolas and the N&P detective team race to solve the mystery and clear Evelyn and her family of the crimes.