King & Kayla and the case of the lost library book

Gr 2--4--Butler and Meyers continue to set the standard for the ideal early reader in this eighth entry in the series that won two Geisel Honor Awards. It's a testament to their skills that they can turn a routine search for a book into an engaging mystery even the youngest readers can solve. Over the brief story arc, setting and time line are clearly delineated and characters develop. King the dog gets all the funny lines ("I forgot I'm not supposed to be on the sofa.") and Kayla is his straight-faced owner. Meyers's plentiful, expressive illustrations add humor and clarity. VERDICT Diverse characters, repetition, generous white space, along with short sentences and short chapters, make this series an essential purchase for all collections.