Ruff vs. Fluff

Queenie & Arthur #1

by Spencer Quinn

New York Times bestseller Spencer Quinn returns with a laugh-out-loud series about the most epic rivalry of our time . . . Arthur the dog vs. Queenie the cat. From the outside, Queenie the cat and Arthur the dog appear to have a lot in common. Both pets live in the charming Blackberry Hill inn. They both love their humans, twins Harmony and Bro. They both have a fondness for sausage. But that doesn't change the fact that they are mortal enemies. Goofy, big-hearted Arthur loves everyone he's ever met . . . except the snobby, scheming cat who's devoted her life to ruining his. Queenie is a bit choosier. And who can blame her? When you're brilliant AND exquisitely beautiful, you can't be expected to rub tails with commoners. Especially not slobbery dogs. But when the twins' beloved cousin is framed for murder, Queenie and Arthur must work together to clear his name . . . something Queenie finds even more distasteful than inexpensive caviar. Can two enemies put aside their differences long enough to solve the mystery?

Genres: Mystery, Animals, Fiction, Dogs, Middle Grade, Childrens, Cats

304 pages, Hardcover

First published March 26, 2019

About the author

Spencer Quinn lives on Cape Cod with his dog Audrey, and is hard at work on the next Chet and Bernie adventure.

Spencer Quinn is a pseudonym of author Peter Abrahams.

Series:
* A Chet and Bernie Mystery

Reviews

[Donna Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, so it is a children’s book...but it has a DOG! Spencer Quinn is the best author for letting his books be told from the perspective of a dog, or in their case, a dog and a cat. A nice change from reading about the Civil War, Jim Crow, and the Holocaust. A sweet break.

[Lis Carey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story aimed a younger readers, though its length may conflict with its cat and dog narrators in finding the right audience.

On the other hand, I really like Spencer Quinn's animal narrators, and he writes a good mystery, so, I may not be the only older fan of his adult mysteries that is ready to enjoy a somewhat simpler tale from him.

Arthur is a bouncing, happy, loves-everyone sort of mutt. He's not too smart, but he's very loyal, loves his family, and has an excellent nose. Queenie is a beautiful, elegant, intelligent, perfect cat. Just ask her! She'll tell you. She, too, loves the human family she and Arthur reluctantly share.

The family they share includes Mom, who seems to have another name as well, and the twins, Harmony and Bro (real name Ringo, but don't ever call him that.) They own the Blackberry Inn, a bed & breakfast in a small town somewhere in the snow country of New England. Things are tough right now, with no guests, so it's a big relief when Mr. LeMaire shows up to take a room for a couple of days, and do some hiking. He's really specific about what trail he wants to hike, though, and it's not one of the popular ones. When their cousin, the professional trail guide isn't available right away, in the end, the twins lead him to the trail--and then he dismisses them right away.

When their guest doesn't return that evening, they report it to the sheriff, who can't be bothered to send the deputy to look for him immediately. When, the next day, they get a text message from LeMaire's phone saying he had a business emergency and had to head home, they're puzzled, but what can they do? Harmony, though, is still worried, and she takes Arthur on a walk that just happens to be the one where Mr. LeMaire was hiking.

They find the body. The sheriff instantly comes up with a "solution" to the murder, and arrest the family's trail guide cousin. The twins are determined to solve the crime, but, of course, both Queenie and Arthur, limited though their knowledge of humans away from the Blackberry Inn is, have access to information beyond the reach of mere human noses. And they gradually realize that the situation is so dire that they need to (horrors!) work together.

It's a fun story, and Arthur and Queenie are fun characters. I have my doubts about a murder in a young readers' book, but the most important thing, of course, is both the cat and the dog survive unharmed. Recommended.

I bought this audiobook.

[Robin Hatcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook (narrated by Jay Aaseng and Rachel Jacobs)
This book (written for kids around 10 to 12) took me awhile to get into. But once I got into the rhythm of POVs from both dog and cat, I enjoyed it a lot. It had a serious murder mystery going on, but it was free of foul language which is always a plus. FWIW, I own both a dog and a cat. While my dog would be useless in tracking me or anything except maybe a treat, I know my cat (Princess Pinky) thinks exactly like Queenie in this novel. Princess . . . Queenie . . . Maybe they’re related.

Robin’s Ratings
5🌟 = Out of this world. Amazing. Unforgettable. A personal favorite.
4🌟 = Loved/really enjoyed it. Will recommend to others.
3🌟 = Liked it. Glad I read it. Engaging/entertaining/interesting.
2🌟 = The book was okay, but I’ve enjoyed other books so much more.
1🌟 = For whatever reason, I didn’t like it and can’t recommend it.

[Alexandra]

8/30/19 $1.99 for Kindle

[Carol Jones-Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

New York Times Bestseller Spencer Quinn returns with a laugh-out-loud series about the most epic rivalry of our time...Arthur the dog vs. Queenie he cat.

From the outside, Queenie the cat and Arthur the dog appear to have a lot in common. Both pets live in the charming Blackberry Hill Inn. They both love their humans, twins Harmony and Bro. They both have a fondness for sausage.

But that doesn't change the fact that they are mortal enemies. Goofly big hearted Arthur loves everyone he's ever met..except the snobby scheming cat who's devoted her life to ruining his.

Queenie is a bit choosier. And who can blame her? When you're brilliant and exquisitely beautiful, you can't be expected to rub tails with commoners. Especially not slobbery dogs.

But when the twins' beloved cousin ia framed for murder, Queenie and Arthur must work together to clear his name....something Queenie finds even more distasteful than inexpensive caviar. Can two enemies put aside their diffeences long enough to solve the mystery? Fun book
Enjoy and have a good laugh and read. Recommend. :-)

[Megan (ReadingRover) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t enjoy this as much as the two other series I’ve read by Spencer Quinn. I liked the alternating POVs of Queenie the cat and Arthur the dog. I also thought the twins were really fun characters. However, there wasn’t the usual air of excitement and suspense that exists in the other series. Unfortunately the plot and the mystery both dragged a bit. Not bad just not great. I’ll see how the second one is. 3 stars.

[Ellie Oberth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute read. The cat (Queenie) and the dog (Arthur) relate incidents that occur from their own viewpoints. Queenie, of course, is a brilliant feline (in her own mind) and Arthur is a lovable doofus who can't keep a thought in his head. They help the investigation in their own ways with their own strengths.

Not just for kids!

[AMY · Rating 1 out of 5]

293 pages. This book is told in alternating chapters by a cat and dog. It seems like it is on a middle school reading level. It was boring to me after reading two chapters. I don’t think elementary kids will get into this one. Cute cover though.

[Jester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah, Quennie, the sole star of the story. (She was not, but she deserved to be. All cats deserve to be stars!)

I’m not a fan of middle-grade mysteries, especially murder mysteries, but this one kept me interested, mainly because of the two animals. Speaking of the two animals, the cat and the dog do not like each other! Every time they mention the other to the readers, they always have to make some snide remark—which I loved, by the way!

The book synopsis is a bit misleading, though. “[…] Queenie and Arthur must work together […]” There was no working together, not even the disgruntled type. They did their own things, alongside the humans, not even deciding to plan this. I don’t even recall them ever talking to each other.

“Run, Arthur, run!

Instead he rolled over and played dead, a good trick, although his only one.

I did enjoy the above scene. I liked Queenie more, but Arthur also had his moments.

This was a cozy murder mystery for kids. Fun. But not for me.

Note: Using new rating system starting 2025.

[Mayda · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first in a series, this mystery shows that not only can Spencer Quinn think like a dog, he has pretty much nailed a cat’s thoughts as well. Like Quinn’s other books, this one is narrated by the animals. Queenie the cat is aptly named, and is quite proud of her appearance. Arthur the dog is a bundle of lovable enthusiasm. Queenie appears to be the smarter of the two, of course, and spends her day observing and allowing herself to be fawned over by the humans. Arthur is always ready for a treat, to run anywhere, and to be scratched. The mom runs an inn with the help of a cook, a handyman of sorts, and her two kids. But when a couple of bad men come to the inn, Queenie and Arthur are instrumental in saving the day. It’s a cute mystery for kids, with Quinn’s signature humor. There is a murder, but any violence and graphic descriptions are kept to a minimum. It is good to finally see a cat take center stage in a Quinn mystery. Take a bow, Queenie; you deserve the applause!

[emyrose8 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as the Chet and Bernie mysteries for adults, but still a good mystery. Spencer Quinn knows how to write like a dog, and this book shows he knows how to write like a cat too! Very entertaining.

[Jennifer Oberth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! It's hilarious. It's so well done - the POV changes by chapter from a cat to a dog and back. If a cat and a a dog wrote a book, this would be it. The POVs are spot-on. It's also a mystery, though I'd describe it more like an adventure.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a fun book. Not for anyone who doesn’t like the narrative coming from a cat or dogs perspective, but I enjoyed it. Would be a good summer read for my kids who are getting old enough to enjoy books like this.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy Spencer Quinn's books because his narrators are rather unique. In the Queenie and Arthur series, Quinn has two narrators a feline as well as a canine.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

My kids enjoyed this book.

[KennedyH2022 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book I liked because It was about mysteries and I like mystery books

[Renae Janecek · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an adorable and fun read! I can't wait to get my paws on the next one!
This will definitely be a series I'll read to my son when he's older.

[Gabby · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars ⭐️

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Spencer Quinn! What a great story with narration by a dog and a cat. I enjoyed this so much even though I am not a YA. Kudos to you that Arthur is different enough from Chet.

[zapkode · Rating 5 out of 5]

{My thoughts} – I was a huge fan of the Bowser and Birdie Series by Spencer Quinn, so of course when I learned there was a new series coming out I wanted to read it. I am a bit behind on this series as my son lost the book in his room, he’d wanted to read it first – uh oh! I finally have it read just in time to start the newer book in the series that released a few days earlier.

In this all new series we get to know Harmony and Bro {Ringo} as well as their pets Arthur {a dog} and Queenie {a cat}. We also get to meet their mom and many of the towns people. Some of those towns people are questionable characters in my opinion from the way they act from the moment they are introduced within the pages.

I like how the animals and the children are able to piece almost everything together before the adults. I find that part rather interesting in my honest opinion.

When we start reading it is either from Arthur’s point of view or from Queenie’s point of view. We don’t ever here from the humans unless the animals are witnessing their conversations. I like the way the book is written, formatted etc. I think it would be fun to actually be able to understand a cat or dog’s point of view and this book gives you a taste of that. I knew that Spencer Quinn had a good understanding of a dog’s mind but he seems to have a great understanding of a cat’s mind as well.

When the book begins and interesting character checks into the family inn. He asks a lot questions and wants to go explore a specific trail as soon as possible. So much so that he pays Harmony and Bro to take him halfway there and then he sends them back home and goes off on his own. Their mother becomes concerned when he doesn’t come back and then the next day gets a text saying that some friends of his will be picking up his belongings. She stops worrying but then Harmony and Arthur end up going up that trail and discover that the guy is dead. This sets a whole lot of events into motion.

The characters are fun to read about and I really enjoyed getting to know them, especially Queenie and Arthur. The way they are portrayed is nothing short of brilliant in my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed reading this book and I can see why my son told me that I needed to read it as soon as he was able to relocate it in his room. He now has the second one in the series and I am waiting for him to finish it so that I can read it as well. I look forward to reading more books in this series in the near future.

[Deuce Naftel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing is becoming predictable. At least the dog's point of view. i realise middle schoolers and elementary aged readers will not have read the Chet and Bernie series, but I feel Spencer Quinn is recycling too much material sometimes. True Arthur the dog isn't as quick and smart as Chet, but he shares an awful lot of similarities. I was willing to overlook that in the Bowser and Birdie series, but it is getting old. I love Bowser and am very sad Spencer Quinn decided to stop writing about him and Birdie. Arthur and Queenie are fine new companions but Bowser needn't disappear!

[Donna Siebold · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Fluff in the title is Queenie, an absolutely exquisite cat, if she does say so herself, and the Ruff is Arthur a mixed breed dog. The two are the resident pets of the Blackberry Hill Inn. They live with twins, Harmony and Bro (real name Ringo) and their mother.

The story is told in the alternating voices of Queenie and Arthur. Queenie, smug and sure of her superiority in every way and Arthur, happy as a clam as long as he is with his family.

Harmony and Bro are unusual twins, born four minutes apart on two different days, they are in different grades due to Bro's unusual mind.

In fact, Bro and Arthur seem to have about the same attention span.

The mystery here involves prohibition, hidden gold, greed and murder. Of course, the kids are involved in the solving and of course, their pets due their part to move the story along its desired path.

The story is cute, though quite predictable, the voices of the pets are clear and the relationship between Harmony and Bro is interesting. The kids, to me, come off as a bit more mature than their age would suggest. I love Mr. Quinn's Chet and Bernie stories and I quite like the Bowser and Birdie series, I find this one a bit more juvenile than that one and a bit less likeable be cause of that.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Told from alternating points of view from Queenie the cat and Arthur the dog, this chapter book provides insight into how those two animals think. But it's also a murder mystery. When a guest at Blackberry Hill Inn checks in and then disappears while hiking, the local sheriff is quick to jump to conclusions about whodunnit. He's a bit of a bumbler and rather lazy, and of course, his suspicions are way off track. As various locals and visitors from farther away arrive on the scene, the real criminal is finally identified with some help from Queenie and Arthur. Although the narration begins with Queenie feeling more than a little disdainful for Arthur, it's also clear that when push comes to shove, she just might have his back. Not only did I enjoy the peeks into the way these two animals think, something the author pulls off quite well, but I liked the added drama of twins Harmony and Bro and their love for ice hockey. Both of them as well as some of the secondary characters are interesting and complex, and I'd certainly read more books featuring this cast of characters.

[Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Picked it up at the Scholastic book fair because it was a 2 dollar special and has a cat. I have no prior experience with the author’s works, but this book didn’t land for me the way I wanted it to from the premise.

As an adult I was bored out of my mind at times and found the back and forth exhausting because it took us far too long to get anywhere. I have a hard time imagining my 5th graders being into it, but kids are surprising so I’ll leave that to them.

For me, I just couldn’t get past things like the lack of explanation for things or the lack of resolution in the end. Examples: Bro is suddenly good at math but doesn’t know how or why? The sheriff has a vendetta against a super young man to the point of refusing a proper investigation/listening to anyone for what reason? The bully’s dad is crooked, but nothing comes of it? Overall, there’s a really significant lack of cohesion for me, but then again I’m not a huge fan of unreliable narration which is what this reads like being limited to the two animals.

[Alexis Kaelin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, this rating is more for my children who "really liked it." I am little less impressed than they are, but it held their attention, and they begged for the next one in the series so I guess the author has done something right. My main criticism is that this one (and now the next one) are waaay too long. They are written as narrated in alternating chapters by the dog and cat of the family. The author goes all out in the way the cat and dog perceive the world (dog: this is the best! what's going on? vs. cat: have I mentioned the world revolves around me and I will constantly point that out ad nauseam?). It REALLY got on my nerves in the later chapters but the kids didn't mind, and maybe even enjoyed it? Oh, well. It's not written for adults and pleased its target audience so we'll go with 4 stars.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruff vs. Fluff is the adventures of Queenie the cat, Arthur the dog, and their humans - Mom and the twins Bro and Harmony. Together they own the Blackberry Hill Inn which is struggling financially. When their sole guest, Mr. Lemaire, ends up dead, and their cousin Matty is blamed, they must unravel the mystery with only an old map and postcard to go on.

This is a children's book, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Ruff vs. Fluff is told from the alternating perspectives of Queenie and Arthur. If you own a cat and/or a dog, you'll immediately recognize certain behaviors. Spencer Quinn has a gift for seeing through an animals eyes. (And if you haven't read the Chet and Bernie series, stop what you're doing right now and go find it.)

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Queenie the cat and Arthur the dog live with their family, a mom and twins Harmony and Bro, who own the Blackberry Hill Inn. In alternating chapters, readers get the points of view of the egotistical and vain cat and the exuberant and not-too-bright dog. When a guest of the inn turns up dead and an incompetent sheriff arrests the wrong man, the cat and dog join the twins in trying to solve the mystery. This is a fun mystery and the cat and dog narrators are wonderfully entertaining. Queenie and Arthur’s personalities shine through in their narration. Readers will be left hoping there are more mysteries to come.

[Kate Foran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have you seen the movie Homeward Bound? This middle grade mystery is pretty much narrated by Sassy the Cat and Chance the dog. There’s a murder! Kids find a body! Cousin is framed by bumbling cops! Can kids and pets (who hate each other) solve this crime and save beloved cousin?

There is an audience for this book — it works like a real mystery story and the animal points of view are fun. But finding a reader for it in my class tricky because the length and text difficulty mean that it’s probably aimed at a younger advanced reader who still likes pet narrators. I don’t have a ton of readers on grade level, and those who do are not big on cute books or pet narrators.

**I received this book for reviewing purposes as a Scholastic Insider

[QuakerMaid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Neato book for adults.
As you know, I usually read the book just so I can complain about it later.
This was a book, being who it's geared to, is A-OK with me ~~even for the adult reader.
One complaint: [Can't leave without one complaint] I HATE when people refer to a pet owner in parental words. "Mom" & "dad" were used frequently through the book.
I'm not my cats' parent.
A lot of human projecting onto animal's ideas and motives, mindset. But that's to be expected with a YA book [and in life in general. Time for a rant: I hate when humans say an animal is sad or embarrassed. How the Hades would you know? OK, rant over. It was a short one.]

[Lynne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked this book a lot at the beginning and all the way up until the end I thought the plot was actually pretty good and I was excited to read this it was so interesting. But then the ending literally felt like if you were acting in a play and the scene is so dramatic and everyone is in character and then you just stop and walk off the stage normally like nothing happened. (sorry if that makes no sense) the ending was just frustrating and the resolution was wasn't all that great. I had read a lot of Spencer Quinn's books and really loved them but this one was just not at the normal standards.