My Dog Is Better Than Your Dog

Crimebiters! #1

by Tommy Greenwald

From the author of Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Not Reading comes a humorous and illustrated new series about a boy whose new dog may or may not be a crimefighting vampire.

Jimmy Bishop loves doing 3
1) Laughing at funny dog videos online,
2) watching his favorite show (Stop! Police!) on TV,
3) and reading his favorite vampire book (Fang Goodness) over and over.

His self-involved older sister and workaholic Mom think he needs to stop obsessing already! But when his Dad finally allows Jimmy to get a puppy before school starts, everything changes and Jimmy has something new to focus his amazing dog, Abby who seems to have some very unusual habits. She sleeps all day but is wired at night, and she runs from the garlic kelp biscuit made by Jimmy's strange new babysitter Mrs. Cragg. There's just something different about Abby. Could she possibly be...a vampire? Jimmy's best friend Irwin thinks Jimmy's being ridiculous, but then when Abby uncovers a real crime in progress and helps him become friends with an actual, human girl, even Irwin has to admit that perhaps Abby might have some super powers after all.

Genres: Mystery, Childrens, Humor, Dogs, Chapter Books, Middle Grade, Juvenile

208 pages, Hardcover

Published September 29, 2015

About the author

Tommy Greenwald's book GAME CHANGER has been named an Amazon Best Book Of The Month, a 2019 YALSA Top Ten Pick for Reluctant Readers, and a Junior Library Guild Premier Selection. Tommy is also the author of the CRIMEBITERS, CHARLIE JOE JACKSON and PROJECT Z series, among many other books for children.

Day-job-wise, Tommy is the Co-Founder of Spotco Advertising, an entertainment advertising agency in New York City, and the lyricist and co-bookwriter of JOHN & JEN, an off-Broadway musical.

To read woefully outdated information about Tommy, visit tommygreenwald.com. (To send an email telling him how much you liked whatever book it was that you just read, holla at tommy@tommygreenwald.com.)

Reviews

[YannaRead101]

Very good book and it was interesting. I highly recommend it.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute, short read. Great for younger readers, reluctant readers, and anyone who likes dogs and mysteries. A little young for my taste, but still enjoyable.

[Kelly R · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am reading this series with my 9 year old and he loves it! A fun book to read together.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is it goofy? Yes. Is it outrageously unrealistic? Yes. Did Irwin and Jimmy's arguments get annoying after a while? Yes.

But what can I say? I had a lot of fun reading this book.

[Isabella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very adventurous, I loved Abby's behavior and her description. (superhero crime-biting vampire dog) I loved when they went to the playground and Mrs. Clagg revealed her secret of her baldness.

[Dean Italiano · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son raved about this bok and wanted me to read it, he's in Grade 4, which is right in the middle of the "appeal level" (3-5) set by Scholastic.

I can see why the kids like it. The writing is clear and the chapters are short, the characters are reflective of themsleves, and the bad guys are made to be just a little bit funny. Abby the dog, a new addition to the family, is a quirky pet that Jimmy believes has special powers.

I took away one star because I don't like how the parents, particularly the Mom, is demonized for having a job. I also don't like how the Dad decided to only work part-time even when offered a full time job. I'm sure kids do feel ignored when parents have to work, but it was laid on a bit thick and ended in an unrealistic part-time for Dad decision.

I really liked how bullying was portrayed, as well as the confrontation, and I dig the ending with all the kids coming together. That was done well and with the weight it deserved.

The humour was great, the healthy foods, and blotches, and all of the crime fighting scenes had my son reading to the end. That's always a win.

[Vivian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It was exciting and REALLY funny. It was a mystery that kept me reading. If you have parents and siblings, then you can probably relate to the character!

[AMY · Rating 1 out of 5]

198 pages. Pretty good beginning. The cover will tempt you. However, this one has too many objectionable things in the first two chapters alone. An 11 year old boy has a blotch on his fact two days before fifth grade begins. The book was going well until p. 22 with a description of a book he's reading . The book character is a vampire and forgets until he bites the nurse who is taking care of him. The the vampire remembers and saves patients from "an evil doctor who's taking their kidneys and selling them." Ewwww! How gruesome and inappropriate for children. The author's use of "dumb" and "stupid" is not good. The main character's best friend doesn't seem very honest or supportive, while making fun of his friend Irwin's speech problem. Again...not nice. I read two chapters and that was enough. I'm not recommending this one. NO WAY!

[Diane · Rating 2 out of 5]

"When your older sister looks at you and starts laughing, you know it's not good."

Jimmy is starting 5th grade with a giant blotch on his face. His mother is always at work and his dad is on the way to a job interview and Jimmy loses it, so his dad promises that he'll take him to get a dog when he gets home from the interview.

But this dog is very different ... sleeps all day and is up all night. Her eyes are sensitive to light and she runs the other way when she smells garlic. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Jimmy has read his favorite book, Fang Goodness, one too many times.

[Ayden · Rating 5 out of 5]

The thing I like about this book is the dog and how it can be normal when people are watching but at night, it changes completely. When the dog and the boy become beast friends some weird thing start to happen and the it gets very interesting, the thing I like the most is how good of a team the dog and the boy are and they always have each other’s back.

[Caesar · Rating 4 out of 5]

For what it is, the book is very entertaining and captures a lot of what it's like to be a middle school kid. It brought back memories of one or my digs my dad didn't like many years ago. No, it'll never be some kind or required reading in school or literary masterpiece, but it definitely is worth checking out and possibly reading with your kids.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book! I can see reading it aloud to my grade 4 class. The main character has real life problems, a vivid imagination and, quite possibly, a crime-fighting vampire dog! He has to deal with an annoying older sister, a new health-food pushing babysitter and a bully.

[Gracelyn S · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book because it had personality and a good plot. Good age for 4 and 5. It is simpler to animal book. Jimmy gets a dog and thinks it is a crime fighter dog. His dog scared away bad guys that stole a peace of his mom favorite necklace and saved jimmy's life.

[Amanda Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

My reluctant reader was lured in to this book by the vampire crime fighting dog. I can't think of a better combination. We are now midway through the second book. Soon this child will be one of us - soon!

[Jean Alfieri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved how the story unfolds with character profiles and a play-by-play through each day. Layer that with a vampire dog - Fantastic! It's so good of Jimmy to embrace the oddness of his dog Abby, as he retells this (almost) unbelievable story of how she saves day!

[Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in 2 days when I was 8. I couldn't put it down. I had never read a book I loved so much.

[Elodie · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book think all kids should read it book talk about a boy getting a sitter and sitter is a criminal/steelers/theif/ so she and her brother barnaby b. is a theif company of crimanls

[Chloe Fogelstrom · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is about a boy who gets a blotch on his face. he gets upset about it and his dad says he could get a dog but the dog is a crime fighting vampire dog

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this aloud to Halle. Not my favorite, but she seemed to enjoy it.

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Comical, yet thrilling at the same time!

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Finley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book and I can't wait to read the next book in the series, and hopefully it has a twist ending too.

[Kendall H · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute. My son loved it and I read along behind him. He went on to the 2nd and third in the series as well.

[Rana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kid gets dog, thinks dog has supernatural powers, dog helps humans fight a crime.

[Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: Jimmy gets a new dog, who may or may not have super powers, and has to deal with bullies, a blotch, a new babysitter, and learning how to be a good friend.

[Elizabeth Schwertfuehrer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun story. Would fit well with young readers who like mysteries/ animal / crime solving stories.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light and fun, with a nice focus on relationships.

[Mason Mowen · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was cool and funny

[Jess Grinnan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a great read aloud for us. My 8 year old loved it and is ready for the next in the series. My 3 year old didn’t hate it which is basically 5 stars from him!

[Karson · Rating 5 out of 5]

the best book