KING & KAYLA AND THE CASE OF THE UNHAPPY NEIGHBOR

King and Kayla’s newest adventure involves digging into…mistaken identity!

Many young readers have begun to grasp the unfortunate truth that sometimes you can show up in the wrong place at the wrong time, like Jillian’s puppy, Thor, and be blamed for something you didn’t do. It seems Thor likes to dig and wrecked Mr. Gary’s yard when he got loose, but Thor tells King he did no such thing. When King puts the clues together with Kayla, they realize that Thor would not have eaten all the fruits and vegetables consumed and is not big enough to knock over a trash can. King decides to investigate with all the animals in the neighborhood while, together, Kayla and Jillian create case details. It’s a whodunit mystery that dogs, cats, and owners come together to solve. Meyers invests all her characters with lots of personality, particularly shrewd King and eager Thor; crabby Mr. Gary looks like a terrible pill. (He and Jillian present white; Kayla presents black.) Beginning readers will like the spacious typeset and thought bubbles that clue readers in to King’s thinking. This is a great story to help emerging readers strengthen their comprehension skills, and caregivers can easily discuss what young readers already know and what they are discovering along the way to piece together a final conclusion—that, happily, will clear Thor’s name.

Entertaining reading for the newest generation of detectives.