I have a dog. A 94 pound
Rhodesian Ridgeback who knows how to communicate what he wants. If he wants to
go outside, he sits at the front door, with his back to it and imploring eyes
faced my direction. When he wants to go for a walk, he sits at the front door
with his snout pointed towards his leash which hangs on a hook by the door. He
will sit by his food bowl when he is hungry. He will lean heavily against any
one of us if he wants to be petted. I know it is time to get up when he cries.
Because he rarely uses his big dog bark, I know to investigate when I hear a
loud woof. And he paces when his girls, my daughters, are not at home. But what
would my dog do, if something serious were to happen?
King is an easy-going
golden retriever. His family consists of a “mom” who is in the military, a
“dad” and his best friend, Kayla. Unfortunately, the book begins with King in
the P-O-U-N-D. His “mom” is serving overseas and he is not worried because he
at least knows what she is doing – her job. But “dad” and Kayla have gone
missing. King stayed with some friends for a while. And then “Uncle Marty” came
and got him and took him to the P-O-U-N-D. King never did trust “Uncle Marty.”
Kayla and King’s favorite
game was playing detective. Kayla taught King how to gather clues and make
lists. They always made a list of “what they know,” and a list of “what they
don’t know,” and finally, a list of “what they were going to do” – the Plan.
Now King has to play detective by himself in order to solve the Case of the
Missing Family. The first item on the Plan is to escape the P-O-U-N-D.
Escape is quickly
accomplished when a family comes to adopt King. King doesn’t want to be adopted
by a new family – and he certainly doesn’t
want a new name and definitely not one
as common as Buddy – except that it means escape AND the new “mom” and her boy,
Connor, smell like his old neighborhood. SCORE! It turns out that Buddy’s house
is directly behind King’s house. Double SCORE!!
King/Buddy is anxious to begin
detective work and is excited when Connor takes him for a walk around the
block. However, circumstances change from bad to worse when Connor disappears.
The Case of the Missing Family must be shelved when King/Buddy realizes that
Connor needs him. His new family needs him. King/Buddy makes a list of what he
knows and attempts to tell “mom” and police where to begin the search. Much
easier said than done.
This book is told from the
point of view of King. Much of the humor comes from the miscommunications
between the canine and his humans. My personal favorite line comes whenever
King finds a morsel to eat and proclaims it his favorite food. Every. Time.
King also gets help from other dogs in the neighborhood and even a cat with no
name who can read.
Other reviews have pointed
out that this book contains some serious topics even if doesn’t attempt to
tackle them. The first is that King seems to have been abandoned – good families
don’t take their pets to the pound. (agree to disagree.) Number two… divorce.
Connor’s parents have recently divorced and Connor is having a hard time
accepting it. It is particularly hard on him and important to the story that
his father lives a long way away. And number three… stranger danger. I admit
that I felt uncomfortable when I thought that Connor might have been kidnapped.
I was grateful when this turned out to be misdirection.
The Buddy Files are a relatively new beginning,
chapter book series - a bridge between beginning readers and full-fledged
chapter books. There are already six published volumes. This, the first, was
nominated for the 2012 Monarch Award which is a list of suggested books for
kindergarten through third graders in the State of Illinois. I have a feeling
that the original case – The Case of the Missing Family – will ultimately be
solved.
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