Small Readers: King and Kayla and the case of the unhappy neighbor by Dori Hillestad Butler, illustrated by Nancy Meyers

Although I love the King and Kayla books, part of me always wonders if there will at some point be that final story that explains how King was taken away from Kayla and ended up with his new family, in the longer chapter books, where his name is changed to Buddy. Anyways, that's just my curiosity.

In their latest mysterious adventure, King and Kayla are out on a walk when they meet Kayla's friend Jillian and her bouncy puppy Thor. Thor, although small, has a yen to dig and has dug himself into some serious trouble. He's been accused messing up Mr. Gary's yard next door - and Mr. Gary is grumpy!

King starts gathering clues - he doesn't think Thor is guilty - and hears some scary rumors from Cat with No Name about a new guy. Kayla tries some tests and discovers that Thor doesn't like the fruit and vegetables that were eaten in the yard. Once they've put their clues together, King, Mouse the great dane, and Thor go on a trip to investigate and make a (stinky) discovery right in Mr. Gary's yard! Luckily, Kayla is there to support them and the real culprit is discovered and Thor exonerated.

Verdict: Another satisfying early mystery from Butler and Mayers. King's expressive face and the two parallel investigations, carefully reasoned out in simple language, make this the best current easy reader mysteries series and a popular choice for kids. Recommended.

ISBN: 9781682630556; Published March 2020 by Peachtree; Galley provided by publisher; Purchased for the library