4.5 stars King is in the pound, unceremoniously dumped there by his human’s Uncle Marty. King had been staying at a kennel, but his stay was up so he transferred to a neighbor’s home. It is from here that the Uncle took King. He was then adopted by a new family (even though it is suppose t... more

4.5 stars King is in the pound, unceremoniously dumped there by his human’s Uncle Marty. King had been staying at a kennel, but his stay was up so he transferred to a neighbor’s home. It is from here that the Uncle took King. He was then adopted by a new family (even though it is suppose to be the dog who does the adopting, King went with them). They recently moved into the neighborhood his human Kayla lives in. King is excited because he needs to find Kayla and her dad, who have not returned from their trip. In the meantime, the little boy, Connor, who is sad, walks King, now known as Buddy, and uses this as a chance to run away back to his dad in California, a long way from Minnesota. With Buddy’s help, Connor is found at the airport and now Buddy is not sure what he will do when he finds his real family. Dogs are only supposed to have one family, not two. This is the first book in The Buddy Files series and a good introduction to King (or Buddy), a gentle golden retriever with a good sense of humor and fiercely loyal to his humans. Book number one is a short 41-page chapter book that can be read in one sitting. It will be a favorite with boys and girls 7 to 10 years old. The illustrations show the golden retriever you will have pictured in your mind as you read his story. It is told strickly from the dog’s point of view. The author has done a great job writing the thoughts of a dog. If canines could read and had a book reviewer at the New York Times, this would be the number one title for dogs everywhere. Note: received from netgalley, courtesy of the publisher