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The Case of Missing Max

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She is an educated poodle (with a title Gr.) who has just moved to a new home with her human mom.   Follow Gr. Acie as she meets her new neighbor, a Siberian Husky named Bella. Bella doesn’t care about “classy”. Bella cares about LIFE. When puppy Max goes missing, Bella draws Gr. Acie into the adventure of a lifetime to save him. In this spell-binding book, Gr. Acie tells us the story as she is experiencing it. She gives us a blow-by-blow account of the crime, while also teaching us about humans and their strange habits.  

74 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 8, 2017

64 people are currently reading
10 people want to read

About the author

Otakara Klettke

6 books6 followers

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5 stars
37 (77%)
4 stars
6 (12%)
3 stars
4 (8%)
2 stars
1 (2%)
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
Profile Image for Robert L..
Author 1 book12 followers
October 18, 2017
A truly wonderful children's mystery!

This children's story really is wonderful! The writing is geared towards children, but there are a few big words (complete with definitions in the back!) to help young readers grow. The story is very good and moves quickly so readers are engaged throughout the entire story. And the author does a really nice job of telling a story from a dog's perspective, while keeping the characters relatable and likeable for humans! I also feel the need to say the artwork inside is beautiful! I highly recommend and look forward to reading more by this wonderful author! :)
Profile Image for Píaras Cíonnaoíth.
Author 143 books201 followers
June 16, 2018
A funny and entertaining whodunit of the canine kind!

The Case of Missing Max (Detective Bella Unleashed Book 1) by Otakara Klettke is a wonderful children’s story about two canine sleuths Acie (a poodle) and Bella (a Siberian Husky). I read it with my grand kids and they loved not only the story, but also the illustrations (by Minette Wasserman). I thought the text and illustrations worked very well together. Equally as adorable was the second installment: The Case of False Blame (Detective Bella Unleashed Book 2).

Author Otakara Klettke writes in a wonderful, exciting and imaginative style that will guarantee the attention of young minds. If you ever wanted to bond even more with your children or grandchildren, this would be a lovely story to share with them.

It seems to me that this book was created with a lot of love and joy and it’s obvious that the author really enjoys creating such wonderful stories. Thank you for sharing with us the gift that you have obviously worked so hard to refine. We’ll be looking forward to seeing what’s coming next. A well-deserved five stars from us.
Profile Image for Emmy.
909 reviews11 followers
December 24, 2017
•audiobook•
A truly beautiful children’s tale - from a dog’s perspective!

Gr Acie and her mom move to a new neighborhood. Classy, sophisticated Gr Acie makes friends with her next door neighbor, Bella. While at the dog park, socializing with Bella and another new friend, Ellie, Max goes missing. Max is Ellie’s young puppy.

Gr Acie explores more of her less-than-savory environment as she helps look for Max! She’s excited as she becomes braver and helpful in the investigation.

I LOVED this cute book (Although I’m a cat person - and striving to be the crazy cat-lady grandmother!) and look forward to listening to it with my granddaughters... if I can get their attention to stray from Trolls!

Highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys a sweet tale. Very worth the price - it’s actually priceless!
Profile Image for Britt, Book Habitue.
1,370 reviews21 followers
February 4, 2018
Meh. So usually a "meh" is a 2.5 or 3 but I'm using the true GoodReads "It was ok" 2 stars... in part to balance the glowing reviews that make me wonder if I read the same book as these other people.
It was okay. It wasn't BAD but it just didn't do anything for me. The tone/voice felt weird and while I can see why you might choose present tense for a dog's point of view I think it's likely to throw kids off. Also, while I applaud expanding kids' vocabulary, the "big words" in this text (defined at the end) were in some cases weird choices.
The ultimate conclusion of the mystery felt bizarre to me.
I grabbed this on Kindle Unlimited to preview for my animal-obsessed 7-year-old but I really don't see her enjoying it... or understanding it.
(Also, I'm not a fan of "peemail" or all the sniffing of butts. Yes, they're dogs, but we don't need to go on and on.)
Profile Image for Jacquelyn Johnson.
Author 83 books3 followers
November 2, 2017
Kids ages 8 to 10 or in grades 3-5 will especially enjoy reading this charming chapter book, first of a canine mystery series. Part of the fun is seeing the world from Acie's point of view. She's a poodle, the new pup on the block and eager to make friends when she teams up with the dog next door to solve a crime hatched in the minds of a gang of criminal cats! Parents will appreciate the messages about being kind to others, being brave and solving problems rather than waiting for others to do it. Kids will like the lively writing, likable dog characters and the happy ending. Great start to a new series!
1 review
October 17, 2017
Delightful Detective Doggie Children's Story for all ages

I enjoyed reading Detective Bella Unleashed to my Goddaughter, just as much as she enjoyed hearing the story.

The author, Otakara Klettke did an amazing job with the characterization of both the animals and their human families. Along with the illustrations, she has a unique style of writing that draws you into the story.

I highly recommend this book for any child... especially if they love animals.
Profile Image for Kitty_ranma.
500 reviews11 followers
January 8, 2018
Audio version.
So cute. I'm in my fifties and I thought this was a wonderful beginning for a series.
The narrator brings the story to life.
Reasons I enjoyed this audio book:
Wonderful characters, Page-turner, Great world building, Original, Easy-to-read, Entertaining, Action-packed, Whimsical.
This Audiobook was given to me for free at my request from the publisher, author or narrator and I provided this unbiased voluntary review.
Profile Image for Angela Lambkin.
2,354 reviews27 followers
February 7, 2018
What a great suspenseful dogs detective story with a happy ending.

I enjoyed this story but it was a pretty lengthy story though.i felt the author did do a great job of painting pictures with words in this story. Thus I would like to recommend a rating of five stars, and to be read especially by dog lovers ages 6-12 and or in grades 1-6.
I received this ebook for free using KU, so in return, Here is my honest review. Job well done Otakava! By Sunny.
18 reviews1 follower
October 16, 2017
I enjoyed being taken into the suburban world of Gr-Acie and her other dog-buddies. Wonderfully written from a dogs point of view, the story is entertaining. It flowed beautifully, but it got slightly bogged down in detail in some places... but the kids will surely love the characters and their doggie-perspective on life in suburbia - made MUCH more exciting by a need to find missing Max!
Profile Image for Rachel.
Author 8 books
December 30, 2017
All of my kids ages 4-12 devoured this interesting inside-out tale of life living with "humans." We listened to it on audio and read the chapter book. My four-year-old sat next to me very still as she listened to the mysterious tale of Gr. Acie and Bella as I worked away on my computer. Awesome! My kids can't wait for book two.
Profile Image for Courtney.
4,297 reviews
June 29, 2018
My children love these little books. They thoroughly enjoy each and every story, as if they are all unique and individual without any cause for similarity among them. Even though sometimes, they might seem tedious and repetitive to me as a parent, I do enjoy being able to read short-stories to my children that are clean and respective.
Author 20 books2 followers
November 4, 2017
This is a wonderful detective mystery book for kids! Gr. Acie and her friends follow the leads when a local puppy goes missing at the dog park one day. The progression of the story exemplifies critical thinking skills for the kids who read it! Highly recommend!
Profile Image for Alhan Rahimi.
Author 35 books4 followers
September 19, 2018
Young readers would love this


An adventurous book that would be difficult to put down by animal lovers... I really wanted to know when and how Max would be found. Can't wait to read the second one in the series.
23 reviews
December 9, 2017
Furry friends and mystery make for a great combo in this adorable chapter book. I recommend this story for any youngster.
Profile Image for Susan.
Author 20 books16 followers
May 23, 2018
Read this little book to my toddler - she enjoyed it as much as I did!
Profile Image for Kristin.
Author 11 books7 followers
December 5, 2017
This story is cute and entertaining, a must read! The plot line captivates you and makes you want to solve the mystery right along side Bella and Acie. I can’t wait for the next mystery!
Profile Image for Elsa.
Author 12 books10 followers
October 20, 2018
FIVE PAWS!!!, I MEAN STARS….
This book is not only for children but also for all ages. I enjoyed the detective adventures of Gr Acie and Bella in finding Max. The author did a great job by giving life, color, more meaning to these 2 hero dogs. I love the conversations, the entire story from a dog’s point of view. I look forward to the next adventure…
10 reviews
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November 2, 2017
Summary:
Meet Gr. Acie. It is not Gracie, Gr. Acie rightfully earned this name for being top of her class at Paw Paw School for dogs. Gr. Acie and her human mom Kathleen are moving to a new place, a home! She was used to living in an apartment her whole life and her human mom always talked about getting a backyard for her. Gr. Acie was nervous about meeting the neighbor dog, Bella. Bella turns out to be a very nice animal, although she has not had the training Gr. Acie has had. One day in the dog park while Bella was introducing Gr. Acie to her nice dog friend Ellie. Once Ellie's owner says its time to go home, Ellie had to round up her 3 puppies, but she only found 2. Max, the third puppy, is gone. Ellie's mother insisted they go because she had to go to a meeting very soon and promised Ellie she would put up flyers. Gr. Acie and Bella feel horrible, so they take the matter in their own paws. They sneak out of their homes everyday to find Max. Finally they start to get clues from a very nice homeless dog in the park and they act. Max has been taken by the stray cats! Through a series of events, Gr. Acie and Bella finally find Max and gives him back to his mother, Ellie.

5 higher-level thinking discussion questions:
1. How do you think Gr. Acie views herself?

2. Can Gr. Acie's perception of herself be problematic? How does this relate to humans?

3. Do you think Bella is a good influence on Gr. Acie? Why or why not?

4. In your opinion, when does Gr. Acie display bravery?

5. Do you think moving into the new neighborhood is good for Gr. Acie?

APA Citation:
Klettke, O. (2017).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
163 reviews5 followers
April 17, 2018
This adventure story is told by a very well brought-up poodle. She makes friends with Bella and her life will never be the same. What has happened to Max? Can they find him before it's too late? I enjoyed this story very much and so will every parent! Just give your children a chance to read it as well :)
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews

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