Showoff

Gr 4–7—How will Ben survive a six-week sleepover with 11-yer-old Griffin Bing, the "Man with the Plan?" In the stand-alone fourth book (Scholastic, 2012) in Gordon Korman's series, it all starts when pal Savannah's oversized Doberman, Luthor, wreaks havoc at a mall appearance of dog show bigwig beagle, Electra. The pooch winds up with a bent tail after the disaster and Luthor lands in the pound. But was he really to blame? Operation Doggie Rehab begins. Luthor is sprung from the pound and hidden in Griffin's garage along with all of Mr. Bing's wacky inventions, including the Spritz-o-matic. With the help of high-tech whiz Melissa, Ben and Griffin enlist a formerly renowned dog trainer who is "a few sandwiches short of a picnic" to clear Luthor's name. The plot-driven, fast-paced tale, a combination of mystery and adventure, takes some liberties within the dog show world and in general, but the friends from Cedarville have a mostly fabulous time working together. Narrator Jonathan Todd Ross overlooks some opportunities for dramatic effect, but he does provide a variety of entertaining, easily distinguishable voices for the cast of characters. This amusing and very dog-friendly tale will have younger middle school listeners laughing out loud.—Jane Newschwander, Arlington School District, VT