I was running my ninety-fifth lap of the boring backyard. There was nothing else to do, except sleep in my basket and chase sparrows.
Then Sarge came home.
'We’re getting a transfer, Jack', he said.

When Jack Russell and his owner, Sarge, move to Doggeroo, he doesn’t expect to become a victim of crime. But he has no sooner unpacked his squeaker-bone than strange things start to happen. First an old boot disappears from the yard, then Jack’s squeaker bone is stolen. When his blanket and bowl disappear, too, Jack is determined to get to the bottom of this mystery. Jack Russell, Dog Detective, has his first case.

This is the first instalment in a fun new series from the husband-wife team of Darrel and Sally Odgers. Readers aged 7 to 10 will enjoy the humour and pace, as well as the novelty of the first-person narration of the tale, from the point of view of the doggy hero.

Teachers and librarians will be attracted to the series also, because of its easy-read format, with large font and plenty of illustrations, and its use of different text-types, including lists, glossaries, maps and more, which could be used as teaching tools and springboards to writing exercises.

Dog Den Mystery is a lively, fun read and readers will look forward to the next instalment in the Jack Russell: Dog Detective series.

Dog Den Mystery, by Darrel & Sally Odgers
Scholastic, 2005

Also by Sally Odgers

Bunyip’s Don’t (2005)
Hitmakers (2004)
Matt the Mage (2004)
Sleepless in Space (2002)