Dori Hillestad Butler

The latest King and Kayla easy mystery throws a little foreshadowing, for readers in the know, about a lost dog.

King, a golden retriever, and Kayla, his sweet owner, both love to solve mysteries. The two are visiting Kayla's grandmother in the country, at a lake, when they find a cute white dog named Fred. Fred is lost and Kayla and her family think he's a stray - but King knows he's not really a stray, he just can't find his family! With King and Kayla both working on the case, they soon show more have Fred reunited with his family.

Meyers' cartoon illustrations show a perky set of dogs and carefully follow the steps Kayla takes to collect and organize her clues and solve the mystery. Kayla interacts with Fred to see if she can determine if he's a stray or not, finding that he knows several commands. She visits neighbors to see if anyone has seen Fred around or knows who owns him. Finally, with the nudging help of King, they set out on a trip across the lake and locate Fred's family, who are camping in the area.

This is a transitional easy reader, just right for kids who are in the process of moving from easy readers to early chapters. The story is complex enough to hold their interest but simple enough to allow them to spread some of their focus to the mechanics of reading. The layout is excellent, spreading pictures throughout the story that enhance the text and offer additional clues to the plot. An aspect I also appreciate in this series is seeing an African-American family in a suburban/rural setting, rather than an urban one.

Peachtree was recently purchased by a big company out of Shanghai and I was interested to see if there would be any changes, although the previous owner had said that it wouldn't affect the books published. The only difference I saw was a Chinese character on one of the blank pages - otherwise it's still the excellent series it's always been.

Verdict: This is a must-have series for your readers transitioning to chapter books and those who love mysteries and animals. Recommended.

ISBN: 9781682630525; Published March 2019 by Peachtree; F&G provided by publisher; Purchased for the library show less

I was very excited when I realized Dori Hillestad Butler had a completely new series out! My readers have loved all the work she's done so far, and I was interested to see what she would try next.

She's kept the animal theme, present in many of her previous books, and added a very realistic situation with a kid who's learning to deal with his parents' separation and living in two homes. This is seen through the eyes of Simon, a black cat, who has always taken care of Andy and is not pleased show more that Andy has a DOG at his father's house now!

Simon begins writing letters to this BEAST, explaining that he, Simon, is the only pet Andy needs and suggesting that the dog leave. The dog, Baxter, replies in poorly-spelled notes scribbled in crayon that he is perfectly happy where he is, he and Andy picked each other, and why can't they all be friends?

Things escalate, involving a goldfish, wild animals including a skunk, and the revelation of Simon's past deeds, until Baxter really does leave - and Simon realizes that Andy needs both of them, however uncouth this beast named Baxter may be.

Atteberry's cartoons show a sleek and villainous cat, who really does care about Andy but maybe cares about his own comfort just a little bit more, an enthusiastic and messy puppy, and a host of other animals, all with opinions of their own.

Verdict: Perfect for beginning chapter readers, this may even inspire a little letter-writing of their own. I've got a large fan base for Butler's work and this gently humorous story about jealousy, sharing, and learning to adapt to a blended family is perfect for my young readers. Recommended.

ISBN: 9780823444922; Published April 2020 by Holiday House; Borrowed from another library in my consortium; Purchased for the library show less

When I picked up the first title in this series, I was immediately won over by sweet and funny King and Kayla. My library kids were equally entranced and it's been quite a while until I was able to get my hands on the latest title - in fact, I had to borrow another library's copy because mine is checked out again!

King is very excited when he smells Kayla making peanut butter treats. He LOVES peanut butter treats! Unfortunately, they aren't for him - they're for Jillian's new puppy, Thor. And show more Kayla won't even let him lick the bowl! She says the dough is bad for dogs. Even worse, while they're all playing outside someone steals three of the treats. At first, Kayla blames King, but when she smells his breath she knows he's innocent. While Kayla and Jillian are working hard on figuring out the mystery, King has found some of his own clues, like a funny smell. Can they discover the thief by working together?

Meyers' cheerful and simple pictures are a good match for the brisk text. Easy readers don't want busy or extensive pictures, since the kids are still focusing on comprehending and learning the text. The mystery is simple but fun and lays out the steps of investigating from figuring out the problem to listing the clues. The added humor of King's knowledge and Kayla's obliviousness will tickle kids' funny bones.

Verdict: I'm planning to buy more of these so I can get enough together for a book club. Highly recommended, sure to fly off your shelves.

ISBN: 9781561458776; Published 2017 by Peachtree; Purchased for the library show less

The Buddy Files have been one of the most popular beginning chapter book series at my library, in book clubs and for recommendations. So I was interested, if a little skeptical, when I saw they were doing a younger series with some similar characters. A lot of chapter book series like Judy Moody, Hank Zipzer, Humprey, and others have been translated to younger chapter books or easy readers with varying success. The main problem is often that they don't stand alone - you have to be familiar show more with the characters already to be interested in reading them.

I found this series to stand alone perfectly. King, a golden retriever, enjoys solving mysteries with his human Kayla. If only she could understand him! He tries to teach her a new trick (giving a dog cheese!) but no luck. When Kayla receives a mysterious note, King knows just how to solve the mystery. But will Kayla understand the answer? Or will she and her friend have to solve the code the hard way?

Meyers' pictures show a diverse cast of kids, led by dark-skinned Kayla, and a humorous and smart dog with adorably floppy ears. It's just the right amount of illustrations for an easy reader and has a friendly, hand-drawn flavor. The simple text fits is just right for an intermediate reader who hasn't yet graduated to chapter books. There's a gentle flavor of humor and a simple but fun mystery to resolve, neither of which take away from the mechanics of reading.

Verdict: This delightful new series has everything I've been looking for - good reading level for intermediate readers, diverse characters who take a main role, animals, humor, and a mystery. Patrons seem to agree with me as the first two books have been flying off the shelves and kids are waiting eagerly for the next installments! I look forward to using these in book club next year and introducing kids to King's earlier adventures and then his later mysteries as Buddy.

ISBN: 9781561458783; Published 2017 by Peachtree; Purchased for the library show less