The Department of Lost Dogs

by Josephine Cameron

Overview

In this stand-alone middle-grade novel set in the same world as A Dog-Friendly Town, Josephine Cameron delivers a mystery full of prime-time puppers, Houdini-inspired whodunits, and a reminder that puzzles are best solved with a little teamwork.

Eleven-year-old Rondo McDade is starting to feel left out. His older brother, Epic, is heading into high school, and his younger sister, Elvis, is always mad at him. His parents keep pushing him out of their dog-friendly bed and breakfast, the Perro del Mar, and into the company of the new kid in town while a famous TV show films on location at the Perro. It’s an important week for the town, and everyone knows Rondo has a history of causing trouble. Even if he doesn’t mean to.

But when canine actors start to disappear, including Carmelito’s most beloved celebrity doggo, Pico Boone, Rondo is sure he knows who did it. Can he win back his family’s trust and crack the case before Pico is lost forever?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780374389758
Publisher:	Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date:	04/11/2023
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.60(h) x 1.10(d)
Lexile:	710L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Josephine Cameron received her MFA in creative writing from the University of Notre Dame. She is the author Maybe a Mermaid, A Dog-Friendly Town, and Not All Heroes, which was a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year. She lives in Maine, where she writes, sings, and teaches music to kids.

Editorial Reviews

2023-01-25
A stand-alone, high-stakes mystery set in “America’s #1 Dog-Friendly Town.”

Sixth grader, middle child, and Houdini admirer Rondo McDade was hoping for a relaxing spring break, but instead, his family’s B&B, the Perro del Mar in Carmelito, California, is serving as a filming location for the reboot of TV series Bentley Knows, and the canine star has been dognapped. Rondo’s mom and dad are busy, and Rondo is at odds with older brother Epic and younger sister Elvis. He needs to solve the mystery of the missing canine actor or his favorite TV show will be cancelled, but he’s going to need to work with, not against, his annoying siblings and 9-year-old Denver Delgado-Doyle, his neighbor’s nephew from out of town who is also a fan of magic. Together the kids try to solve a crime with many possible suspects, including a dog trainer, an actress, and the BarkAngels, who claim to be able to communicate psychically with dogs but who Rondo is convinced are frauds. Transcripts of the Daily Dog Dish podcast give readers extra insights into the celebrity dog world and help with pacing. A tight time frame of less than a week, an observant first-person narrator, and a large cast of family members and suspects make for an entertaining whodunit perfect for animal lovers. The McDades read White; names and some charming full-page illustrations cue ethnic diversity in the supporting cast.

A fun, fast-paced mystery. (Mystery. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews

"A tight time frame of less than a week, an observant first-person narrator, and a large cast of family members and suspects make for an entertaining whodunit perfect for animal lovers... A fun, fast-paced mystery." —Kirkus Reviews

"The hilarious whodunit works splendidly on its own, and fans of A Dog-Friendly Town (2020) will be thrilled to reunite with familiar characters from a different child’s perspective. Brisk pacing, interspersed podcast transcripts, and dog puns aplenty keep the proceedings compelling for younger readers. Supersleuths and dog lovers will lap up this clever caper." —Booklist

From the Publisher