A Parents Magazine Storytime Pick!
"Cameron orchestrates the two storylines expertly, positively packing the first with suggestive clues and multiple red herrings as well as winningly diverse arrays of dogs and people while bringing Epic along in believable stages and leaving him good to go as the investigation uncovers all sorts of hidden identities and agendas on the way to a wild scramble of a denouement. Mystery fans will enjoy the multiple twists here; dog lovers will wolf it down." —Booklist, starred review
"Overflowing with eccentric characters, adorable dogs, and canine-centered wordplay, this middle-grade mystery offers a smart, playful romp reminiscent of Raskin’s classic The Westing Game." —The Bulletin, starred review
"Short chapters and a breathless pace make this a clever, engrossing plot-driven tale with plenty of unusual, well-developed characters—even the dogs . . . Thoroughly entertaining—mystery fans and dog lovers will lap this one up." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"This book has it all: a captivating plot, an exciting mystery, and likeable characters. There are a lot of players and moving parts, but readers will stay engaged and have no trouble following along . . . There are character illustrations in the opening pages, and readers will enjoy putting faces to names. A highly enjoyable mystery for upper elementary. A recommended purchase." —School Library Journal
05/01/2020
Gr 3–7—Cameron takes readers into the world of dogs, their owners, Hollywood drama, and a group of amateur sleuths on summer vacation. Epic, Rondo, and Elvis live in the Perro del Mar, their parents' popular dog-friendly bed-and-breakfast in Carmelito, CA—also known as "America's #1 Dog-Friendly Town." Everyone is abuzz when a few famous dogs descend upon their little town for the 10th Annual Dog Elegance Award Ceremony and Carmelito's Annual Puppy Picnic. However, when one of the dogs' diamond collars goes missing, the siblings find themselves in the middle of a whodunit. With Hollywood dog gossip bloggers lurking at every turn, a rival dog bed-and-breakfast, and a few curious characters, the siblings must act fast before the culprit gets away with it. This book has it all: a captivating plot, an exciting mystery, and likeable characters. There's a lot of players and moving parts, but readers will stay engaged and have no trouble following along. Cameron mixes things up by inserting gossip blog posts between chapters, which expands perspective beyond the narrator, Epic. There are character illustrations in the opening pages, and readers will enjoy putting faces to names. VERDICT A highly enjoyable mystery for upper elementary. A recommended purchase.—Elizabeth Portillo, Finkelstein Memorial Library, Spring Valley, NY
★ 2020-06-03
Three clever but remarkably quirky siblings and two of their friends take on an infamous and crafty jewel thief.
Epic, interested in robotics and facing the challenging transition from a tiny private academy to a large public middle school, is often tasked with keeping an eye on his younger brother, Rondo, who takes detecting very seriously, and Elvis, his little sister, who’s just as focused on famous movie-star dog Sir Bentley. Her dream is coming true: Sir Bentley is coming to stay at their parents’ dog-centric bed-and-breakfast, Perro del Mar, in the titular “dog-friendly town” of Carmelito, California. Unfortunately, in the middle of the night someone steals Bentley’s valuable, jewel-studded collar, and the crime is quickly publicized on dog-focused celebrity blogs. The B&B is full of plausible jewel-thief candidates, most in town for the season’s biggest doggie bash, Puppy Picnic. Epic, in his believably (and yet humorously) angst-wracked narration, reports the riveting, evolving developments in a mystery that is thick with red herrings. Short chapters and a breathless pace make this a clever, engrossing plot-driven tale with plenty of unusual, well-developed characters—even the dogs. Epic and his family are white, and opening illustrations indicate that much of the rest of the cast is diverse.
Thoroughly entertaining—mystery fans and dog lovers will lap this one up. (Mystery. 10-12)
