The Phantom Mudder

Odgers, Darrel and Sally. 2006. Jack Russell: Dog Detective: The Phantom Mudder. Kane/Miller.

Originally published in Australia, this fun new series of early readers is published by Kane/Miller. I reviewed the first book of the series, Dog Den Mystery, a few days ago. I loved it. (Read that one here if you missed it.) The Phantom Mudder is the second in the series. (But it's not essential to have read the first one. These books could stand alone or be read in any order.) The book features Jack Russell, a dog, and his human 'landlord' Sarge and Auntie Tidge and her dog, Foxie, also enter into it quite a bit. This book focuses on the local dog show. It's the day of the big competition, but something is wrong! One dog after another after another after another are being "mudded" right before they're due to compete! Who is mudding these dogs? Who is out to sabotage the competition? Can Jack Russell and his dog friends solve the mystery in time?

Here's just one of the "Jack's Facts" featured in The Phantom Mudder:

Jack's Facts

Dogs understand what humans say.
Humans think they understand what dogs say.
Therefore, dogs are smarter than humans.
This is a fact.