Leader of the Pack

Scrapper #1

by Cam Higgins, Ariel Landy (Illustrator)

Genres: Childrens

128 pages, Hardcover

Published February 3, 2026

Reviews

[Alexis Kressner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Firstly, I would like to thank Netgalley and Little Simon publishing for providing me an advanced copy of this book. Scrapper is an early readers chapter book thst is sure to be enjoyed by little girls and boys everywhere. Scrapper is frightened by a monster near his home! He has to find friends to join his pack to help him find and get rid of the monster. But what happens when friends dont want to play the games you do? What happens when friends are too busy? Scrapper has to figure all that out in his first adventure Leader of the Pack! I love this book for its holistic content, excellent vocabulary and problem solving themes. Scrapper's first person perspective will respinate with young readers seven and under. If your kiddo is ready to jump into full chapter books, this is an EXCELLENT start. The pictures also resonate so well with the story, providing additional joy for the reader without distracting.

[Ro U]

Anyone that loves the Good Dog series will love this as well. Scrapper, Leader of the Pack is told from the point of view of Scrapper (Bo from Good Dog's bff) a three-legged dog who doesn’t really get human stuff like “school,” it’s full of humor and heart.

Scrapper, Bo, and a bunch of farm and forest friends team up to track down a mysterious “monster,” and their adventures are silly, exciting, and full of teamwork. The illustrations are fantastic and really bring the story to life. Perfect for young readers who love animals and a little mystery!

Thank you Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC!

[Rural Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scrapper is a dog who lives on a farm with his human family. The story shares Scrapper interacting with various animals as he looks for the monster that he thinks is lurking nearby.

Any fans of the Good Dog series will enjoy this new series by Cam Higgins. The illustrations are darling. The content is fairly basic, but is perfect for reluctant readers and those who are starting to transition to chapter books.

This is a book that we will be adding to our collection and our young patrons are bound to enjoy it.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cam Higgins' new animal series will be another hit for young readers! Scrapper lives on a farm with his human family and is always looking for an adventure. He sets out to find some new friends to join his club and maybe catch a monster along the way. A quick, cozy story for a read aloud with younger ages or a great start for beginning readers with this early chapter book.

[Jade Goodwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scrapper Vol. 1: Leader of the Pack is a warm, kid‑friendly early chapter book with a gentle adventure, lovable animal characters, and encouraging themes of friendship and problem‑solving. It’s especially effective for children just transitioning into longer narratives — a strong pick for libraries, classrooms, and home reading.

[Colorado Buck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beginning juvenile fiction book about a three legged dog, who is trying to get the animals around him to join his monster, fighting team and hang out at his secret hideout. Along the way he discovers that the way to make friends is to start listening to what makes them happy instead of just thinking that everyone else will want to do what you wanna do.

[Ashlee · Rating 5 out of 5]

We had our 7 year old read this to us. He has dyslexia and was able to follow along amazing. His confidence grew with each word and absolutely LOVED the story of scrapper.

Thank you netgalley for the ARC and family bonding.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A super sweet adventure featuring a cast of animal characters that is perfect for the youngest chapter book readers.

[Mary T · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love that there's a new spinoff series to Good Dog. Cam Higgins is great at writing early chapter books!