“Rider Woofson: The Case of the Missing Tiger’s Eye” is an early reader chapter book for students aged 5 - 9.
The story is about Rider Woofson, a dog detective in the town of Pawston, who solves crimes with the help of his pack; he uses the gadgets of Westie Barker, the nose of Ziggy Fluffenscruff, and the help of Rora Gooddog, a smart and pretty sleuth. The book follows the pack as they use clues to determine who stole a valuable sculpture called the Tiger’s Eye.
The book is accessible to early readers with its large font, and cartoonish illustrations on almost every page. Many students will enjoy reading about the pack following clues to solve the mystery, as well as the corny puns throughout the book; the pack faces “terrier-fying” challenges, eats “pupperoni pizza,” and deals with a “hiss-terical cat” as they navigate the city’s criminal underbelly, which is “not the type of belly you want to scratch…unless you want to get bit!”
One drawback of this book is that it has a one-dimensional, arguably stereotypical portrayal of the only female member of the team, who is described as “pretty” and doesn’t contribute substantially to solving the crime.
This book will appeal to early readers of chapter books in many ways, and students will enjoy making predictions and following the team as they use clues to solve the crime. However, later books in the series should include more strong female characters to avoid stereotypes and to engage young female readers, as well.