The Case of the Lost Boy: 1

THE BUDDY FILES is a fun, easy-to-read mystery aimed squarely at the early reader. It's an entertaining story told from the perspective of a dog who unexpectedly finds himself at the P.O.U.N.D. and then "adopts" a new family. Then his new boy, Connor, goes missing and the dog makes it his mission to find him. The story clips along at a quick pace, has easy vocabulary, and bite-sized chapters that make the book manageable for your average 1st or 2nd grader. A fun cast of characters and colorful language make the journey fun. I belive the story would appeal to both girls and boys equally. My 1st grader was thrilled to have this be one of the first chapter-books that she read start to finish all by herself, and actually enjoyed the experience. I'd recommend this book to any parent whose child is starting to show in intrest in independent reading.

I got this book for my 5 year old - he loved it! Great book, kept him entertained, and seemed appropriate for his comprehension level, despite being intended for older kids. I'll try the other books in the series for sure.

Not only is The Buddy Files a compelling book for young readers, it provides additional educational values as well. Before I review the book's attributes, I should state that I am a reading teacher and a grandmother of a six year old pre-reader. First, I want to dismiss two concerns that were mentioned in previous reviews: divorce and so-called abandonment. Yes, one of the characters in the first book has moved because his parents were recently divorced. When I was reading this part to my grandson, his comment was, "Oh, that's like Gavin across the street. His father lives somewhere else." Like it or not, young readers may come from a divorced family, or know of children who do. It was no big deal. Next, to suggest that young readers may personally relate a dog being in a pound with abandonment is hyperbolic. The "pound" is part of the initial setting, nothing more, nothing less. Because the book's plot revolves around a "mystery", it holds the reader's interest. At first, when I started reading the book to my grandson, he asked, "Where's the pictures?". I explained that with this book there were just a few pictures, and that he would want to imagine what was happening in his head. This ability to visualize what one reads is called eidectic memory, an important skill used by good readers. The dog-protagonist is caring, funny, thoughtful,and logical. What I particularly like is how the dog thinks through how he is going to think through his problem. This critical level thinking skill is called metacognition - again, a valuable reading comprehension skill. Finally, the book has a contained vocabulary that lends itself to word recognition practice. We read the Buddy Files in two sittings. When my grandson visited this morning, he found in my den the next book in the series. Could I read it to him, right away - please!? Hmmm. A book before lunch? It doesn't get better than that.

This story has great animal and human characters. Buddy/King, the star of the story, is a golden retriever with a sharp sense of smell and intense loyalty. He's a character kids can relate to because much of a dog's life is determined by its owners, like kids' lives are determined by parents. Yet, within that comforting framework, Buddy manages to have a joy in life as he follows clues and solves a mystery. There are great supporting animal characters. MOUSE is a huge dog, WHO ONLY TALKS IN CAPS TO INDICATE HIS BOOMING VOICE. But the character that threatens to steal the show is Cat with No Name, who is arrogant, like many cats and refuses to share information and do Buddy's detective work for him. The human characters of Conner and Mom show a loving relationship that is tinged by the tragedy of divorce. It's touching and realistic, as Mom is trying to cope and set up a new life and take care of Conner; and Conner is naturally torn between his parents. The back story is that King/Buddy has lost his humans. This story line is probably the one that will be solved throughout the entire series of mysteries. In the first Harry Potter book, we don't know what happens to Voldemort; that plot line carries throughout the story. I trust the author here to eventually solve the mystery of the missing humans. Yes, there are plot elements that may concern sheltered families: there's divorce and a runaway kid and the P-O-U-N-D. There are red herrings of stranger danger and a possible kidnapping. But this is tame stuff compared to what kids see on TV; I'd suggest reading the book with your child and discussing the issues. Exciting mystery, funny characters, and a great lovable dog - what more could a kid want in a book? See also, Butler's great P is for Policemen and F is for Fireman.