The Dog Squad: The Race

 

 Written and fully illustrated by Clara Vulliamy.

 

 

An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.

Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review featuring this week an Adventure in Middle Grade Fiction.

 

For our canine pals we have a wonderful new release from Clara. It's the second 7 to 11 year olds adventure featuring a whippet called Wafer, and his human child companions, Eva, Ash, and Simone. Together, they form the Dog Squad, up and coming school reporters at The News Hound paper, with an eye for the top story and are always up for adventure investigation and fun. 

So, without further ado, lets find out about their latest hot-off-the-press adventure!

AUTHOR:  Clara Vulliamy

 

Cover art by:  Clara Vulliamy

 

Published by:  Harper Collins Children's Books

 

Publication date Paperback:  OUT NOW

 

Paperback ISBN:  978-0-00-856539-8

UK Cover price for Paperback:  £6.99

 

Pages: 112

 

Age range:  7 - 11

 

 

SPOILER ALERT

Some as to plot direction and characters.

 

 

Thank you to... 

 

I am exceedingly grateful to Clara who personally sent over the digital pictures specifically so you all could enjoy them in the best possible way (IE without Mrs H's marmalade covered fingers in the picture). And huge thanks for Mrs H spending her pension and cycling twenty miles in the pouring rain to the not so local bookshop so we could Read & Review this awesome kids' publication.

As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, been given as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review.

First and foremost, the books we review are those we select to read, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their family, friends and students will enjoy.

The plot

Wafer is Eva’s pet whippet. She wants to help him make new pals. So, finding out there is a 'meet and greet' for shy dogs, down the local park the following Sunday, she decides to go. With her pals, Ash, who is non-binary, and Simone, they take Wafer for what they hope will be fun and a way to burn off some of Wafer’s heaps of energy. But it turns out to be a bit of a flop, as the dogs that turn up refuse to mix. 

On the way home, they bump into Sam, from the Wags and Whiskers day care centre. He suggests taking Wafer to do some whippet racing.

Which, having got Eva’s mum’s approval, is what the kids decide to do. But first, like the talented journalists they hope to be, they do some investigating. Armed with a training regimen for Wafer, which he takes to like a duck to water, they book him in to a local event.

Now, this is a short book, and so the remaining pages deal with events at and after the races Wafer has entered. Suffice it to say, it would not be an adventure for our Dog Squad Team of investigative reporters without something going on. 

We get introduced to a few characters, as well as their whippets. And from here, the Dog Squad gets a whiff of foul play and potentially dangerous goings on for the dogs involved in the racing.

Will Wafer win the races and get a rosette? What are the series of nasty events that threaten to overshadow the days racing? Will the bad guys go unpunished? These questions will be answered, but you’ll need to buy the book to see how.

What did we think?

Clara has a wonderful way of bringing her art into the very fabric of the story. This book is no exception. A simple but highly entertaining plot brings action, inclusion, and a theme that supports right and fitting behaviour for our youngsters. All brought to life in art on or across almost every page. 

So . . . Crunch time.

This is a wonderful sequel. One that we just had to have. Adult books lose out for not generally having artwork, save for somewhat spurious or generic genre covers. For any younger readers, this book will be a real visual treat and well worth buying to encourage/develop their reading skills and sense of adventure.  

A link to our review of the first book can be found HERE.

A link to our review of Clara's 'Marshmallow Pie Cat Superstar' adventure books can be found HERE.

Want to buy a copy?

To get a copy, please race down to your independent bookshop. There are plenty out there and each shop is just waiting to serve up whatever kind of mystery, fun and adventure you desire. You can't fail to win with this book!

 

Clara Vulliamy's web page can be found HERE or type this: https://claras.me/

Harper Collins Children's Books web page can be found HERE or type this: https://harpercollinschildrensbooks.co.uk/explore/

 

We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America. Click this link to see Janet Blue's selfie page.

 

I shall leave you with an early April morning selfie. And no, I do not use paw whitener, honest 😉

 

 

Till laters!

ERin

MAJOR AND MYNAH – TARANTULA TERROR

 by KAREN OWEN;  

 Illustrated by Louise Forshaw                                                               

An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.

Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review featuring Adventures in Middle-Grade Fiction.

 

Mrs H has been busy chasing spiders this week. In fact, the warmer winter has meant that not only have the spiders not gone to sleep, they have been breading, too. Well, that's my excuse. In reality, they may have come indoors with me. But, I'm not telling Mrs H that on account of the fact she's been getting far more exercise chasing them and is wearing off all of the excess calories she put on in December. 

Thankfully, we haven't any as big as the spider in this week's book review. Also, none are as fierce and potentially as dangerous, at least for birds. We could do with a few of those to thin out the number of pigeons that wake me each morning at 10am by doing what pigeons do on the roof. 

So, without further ado, let's get on with our arachnid-tastic adventure!

 

 

AUTHOR: KAREN OWEN

 

Cover art by: LOUISE FORSHAW 

 

Published by: FIREFLY PRESS

 

Publication date: Paperback: 15 February 2024

 

Paperback ISBN: 978 191 5444 431

 

Cover price for Paperback: £6.99

 

Pages:  124

 

Age range: 7 - 9

Any dogs or cats? No, but B.O., the Mynah bird, has a crucial AND scary part!

 

 

SPOILER ALERT

Some as to plot direction and characters.

 

Thank you to... 

We are exceedingly grateful once more to Firefly Press Publishers (and NetGalley) for giving us an advance copy of this to Read & Review for you all across the world.

As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, been given as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review.

First and foremost, the books we review are those we select to read, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their family, friends and students will enjoy.

The plot

This is book 3 in the series, and every bit as fun and adventuresome as the others, possibly more so. 

To recap, Callie is our main protagonist. She discovered that her new hearing aids allowed her to understand and speak to Bo, a Mynah bird they adopted in Book 1. Callie and her best pal, Grace, are the two 9-year-old girls in a detective team that includes Bo. They are collectively called S.P.U.D. (Super Perceptive Undercover Detectives).  is our main protagonist. She discovered that her new hearing aids allowed her to understand and speak to Bo, a Mynah bird they adopted in Book 1. Callie and her best pal, Grace, are the two 9-year-old girls in a detective team that includes Bo. They are collectively called S.P.U.D. (Super Perceptive Undercover Detectives). 

It is the school holidays, and a funfair has come to the village, but the kids, including Callie's younger brother, Luke, aren't allowed to go until the weekend when Callie's older cousin comes with his family. That leaves a whole week of going out with their mum and dad, with whom Grace is staying, and doing boring adult things like going to the D.I.Y. store or buying car tyres. I think we can all relate to that in one way or another!

So, having their own airborne assistant/spy in the sky, the girls send Bo off to reconnoitre the fun fair and spot the best rides. But Bo is taking far too long, and the girls are getting worried. When the mynah bird finally returns, he is rather coy as to where and what he's been up to. He gets downright evasive as the week goes on, and he seems very sleepy and off his food, too.

Eventually, after being asked countless times by the kids if they can go to the fair and having to turn them down, they offer to take them somewhere else as a stopgap trip. The kids ultimately settle on going to a wildlife park. Callie's parents have a dislike for snakes and spiders, and they are not keen on going. But a promise is a promise.

At the zoo, the girls learn about the tarantula, and Luke gets to see the snakes.

On leaving the spider presentation given by one of the keepers, the girls spot a giant spider, a tarantula, heading off into the hedge...

OK, what happens next really brings the story into top gear. So, that is where I must leave it. If you want to know the answer to what happens to the fearsome female spider – a bird-eating tarantula at that – what Bo has been up to, and how all the subplots mesh and come to a spooky conclusion, you'll just have to get the book. I assure you the best, scariest and funniest is still to come!

 

So, what did we think?

For a review of book 2, please use our link below:-

Book 2: Major and Mynah – Operation Raven  

We loved every minute of this book. There was always something happening which made it a real page-turner. Karen has ably combined the anticipation and thrill of the fun fair with the excitement and tension of an escaped tarantula and the ensuing investigation, chase and capture. There is also a mystery to unravel about where Bo went and what he was doing. As I was saying, never a dull moment. 

The parent's reactions are, as in real life, priceless. Couple this with the fact that fun and interesting facts about spiders are revealed along the way, and thoroughly engaging artwork makes this a sound, safe, responsible and enjoyable read for children of all ages.

So . . . .

Crunch time. 

Yes, buy this as an excellent way to pass a rainy day, to read aloud or alone, or as part of a broader classroom activity.

 

Want to buy a copy?

To get a copy, minus creepy crawly and slithery add-ons, take the quickest and least scary route down to your local independent bookshop. They are out there, and each shop is just waiting to serve up whatever kind of mystery, fun and adventure you young reader desire. Plus, you'll be helping small businesses stay alive and flourish.

 

KAREN OWEN'S web page can be found HERE or type this:  https://karenowen.co.uk/

 

FIREFLY PRESS web page can be found HERE or type this: https://fireflypress.co.uk/

 

LOUISE FORSHAW web page can be found HERE or type this:   https://www.munkeypants.com/

 

 

Next time we'll be reviewing a real gem of a story: Secrets of the Snakestone. It's a Wilkie Collins Moonstone-like adventure, not to be missed!

 

 

We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, in America.

 

I shall leave you with a selfie. I am not sure my toothy grin counts as smiling, but could be one of the reasons I'm so popular with the mice  🙂 🙂

 

Till laters!

ERin