Illustrator: Jeremy Tugeau
Monarch Award - Illinois (2012)
Imagine the loss you would feel if you were sent away from the people you love without means to contact them. This is what happens to King. King, a dog, is part of a modern American family. Kayla, his owner, has gone away with her father to visit relatives. Kayla's mother is a member of the National Guard. King thought he would be visiting a kennel for the duration of their trip, but now he has ended up in the P-O-U-N-D. King is adopted by a new family, and must adapt to his change of name and home. King is now called Buddy, and he belongs to a school principal and her young son. When the son goes missing, Buddy helps solve the case of the lost boy.This is a nice read for advanced readers. The chapters are relatively short, and the words fill up the small pages. The story includes questions a detective might ask during an investigation. This helps children understand the importance of thinking through problems. I enjoyed the repetition of the word "pound." The story is told in first person from King's (Buddy's) point of view, so he must not want to say the word aloud. I thought it was an interesting story line, one that includes a broken family and a family with one member serving in the U.S. military. These two families are reflective of the world in which we live today. Families cannot always be assumed to include a mother, father, and children. Sometimes, the family structures are non-traditional.
Overall, I admit it was not my favorite chapter book, but some children would find it very intriguing. Children who especially love dog stories would "lap up" this book (pun intended).
