Chock full of puns by Tara Lazar and clever illustrations by Ross McDonald, this book turns the age-old joke of "Why was 6 afraid of 7? ... Because 7 ate 9" into a mystery that needs to be solved by Private I. Not sure why we needed any other letters in this book about numbers though. ( )

What a twist of words when number 6 accuses number 7 of eating 9. Read along as detective I investigates the mysterious disappearance of number 9. ( )

Full of laughs and clever puns, that might otherwise go above some kids’ head. The wordplay was spot on funny. A delightful fun read, to tickle kids’ funny bones and spirits.

That alphabetic investigator, Private I, receives a visit from a distraught numeral 6 in this punny picture-book mystery. The rumor is that "7 ate 9," and 6 worries that he's next. Private I immediately sets out to investigate, soon discovering that all is not what it seems in the world of numbers...

I found 7 Ate 9: The Untold Story to be an absolute hoot, enjoying all of author Tara Lazar's many clever puns, and finding illustrator Ross MacDonald's accompanying artwork well-suited to the humor of the tale. Apparently there is a subsequent adventure involving Private I, due out in October of this year (2019). I look forward to reading The Upper Case: Trouble in Capital City, when it becomes available, and recommend this one to all pun-lovers, and to picture-book readers and listeners who enjoy a good mystery. ( )

This book is a cute short story about a detective called I (like a Private Eye) helping the number 6 because he is afraid after he found out that 7 ate 9. I love the details that the author added in like, "But I knew about this 7 fella. He was odd." I also liked that this book is filled with puns and homophones, so that is something I could incorporate into the lesson. I think this book is most appropriate for second to third graders so that they are able to understand things like "pi, odd/even numbers, perfect 10, and so on. ( )