Bagels the Brave

May 1, 2015
Grades 2-4 Bagels the sheltie, whippet, and Jack Russell mix is back in a new adventure. This time, he is accompanying Josh and his family on a trip to Sasquatch Lake. Josh's father is reluctant to take Bagels along, since the one thing one can expect around Bagels is the unexpected. On the other hand, a dog who loves Elvis can't be all bad, so Bagels makes the trip to the ramshackle cabin with the rest of the Bernsteins. When Josh's mother's cell phone goes missing along with food and other items, Josh and younger sister Becky investigate, wondering whether they are on the trail of a new Sasquatch. The answer is revealed after only a couple more misadventures, and Bagels ups his status with Josh's dad. The challenge of high/low books is to make the lower level accessible while maintaining a high-interest story that does not condescend to the reader. With Josh's bright and authentic first-person narrative, the appealing cast, and the zany illustrations, this fits the bill.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)