Smells Like Dog

May 1, 2010
Gr 4-7-Homer Pudding is a luckless 12-year-old who dreams of hunting treasure like the uncle he idolizes. When his uncle is eaten by a killer tortoise, Homer gets swept into the middle of a treacherous race to locate a pirate's treasure. A whimsical narration and sometimes comical dialogue add a light touchbut perhaps not quite light enough, as the boy's initial cheerlessness makes him hard to warm up to. The pace picks up when he arrives in The City, however, and gets himself out of danger more than once by using his wits. He is aided by Dog, a peculiar basset who turns out to have surprising sleuthing skills of his own, though readers will figure this out long before Homer does. The main villain is appropriately over-the-top: she's a ruthless museum director who seeks the treasure for personal gain, rather than sharing with the world. Occasionally silly plot contrivances make Homer's journey less than gripping, but they match the consistent mix of silliness and action. The boy's growth from hapless loser to skilled treasure hunter is fairly convincing; Homer uses his uncle's advice and the story of the Odyssey for inspiration and steadily gains confidence. The supporting cast is quirky and mildly amusing, if not especially memorable. The perky homeless girl who aids, and then betrays, Homer is more intriguing, though; the conclusion sets her up as a potential rival or possible friend in future installments."Steven Engelfried, Multnomah County Library, OR"

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2010
Grades 3-6 Starting with an authors note featuring a no dead dogs guarantee, this tale opens with 12-year-old Homer Winslow Pudding receiving a basset hound with a special coin hiding in his collar. Bequeathed by the boys uncle Drake, a famous treasure hunter who was killed by a man-eating tortoise, Dog accompanies Homer as he leaves his familys goat farm in Milkydale and begins an odyssey into the city to find the real cause of his uncles demise, solve the mystery of his uncles most prized possession, and locate a missing pirates map. While the momentum begins to slow toward the end, a cast of eccentric charactersincluding a budding taxidermist sister, an evil museum director, a pink-haired orphan, and a cloud-copter pilot with Indian rootscontinue the fun as the boy battles his way through an evil lair and discovers a secret society of lost treasure hunters. Fans who enjoy the editorializing and over-the-top humor in Wendelin Van Draanens Gecko and Sticky series will take pleasure in this misfit duos quirky adventures.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)