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Horace & Bunwinkle #2
The Case of the Rascally Raccoon
The second book in a young middle grade mystery-adventure series about Horace, an anxious Boston Terrier, and Bunwinkle, an exuberant potbellied pig, who team up to solve crimes in their barnyard and local neighborhood.
Horace is flying high after solving the pet-tectives' first mystery. But Bunwinkle just hasn't been herself--she's scared all the time and is too embarrassed to tell anyone.
Before they can work on getting Bunwinkle's confidence back, a new case lands in their laps--well, actually their trash cans--when Shoo the raccoon asks for help. The neighborhood humans think he's behind a series of garbage upheavals and home break-ins--but he swears he's innocent. Just because people call him a trash bandit doesn't mean he is one.
To make matters worse, while the pet-tectives are trying to clear Shoo's name, they learn that Eleanor is having money problems. She hopes to solve them by starting a community Farmer's Market in the back field. The neighbors seem excited to help at first but then, one by one, they suddenly drop out.
With time running out, can the pet-tectives solve the mysteries and save Shoo and the Homestead?
Horace is flying high after solving the pet-tectives' first mystery. But Bunwinkle just hasn't been herself--she's scared all the time and is too embarrassed to tell anyone.
Before they can work on getting Bunwinkle's confidence back, a new case lands in their laps--well, actually their trash cans--when Shoo the raccoon asks for help. The neighborhood humans think he's behind a series of garbage upheavals and home break-ins--but he swears he's innocent. Just because people call him a trash bandit doesn't mean he is one.
To make matters worse, while the pet-tectives are trying to clear Shoo's name, they learn that Eleanor is having money problems. She hopes to solve them by starting a community Farmer's Market in the back field. The neighbors seem excited to help at first but then, one by one, they suddenly drop out.
With time running out, can the pet-tectives solve the mysteries and save Shoo and the Homestead?
208 pages, Hardcover
First published October 5, 2021
1 person is currently reading
1624 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 12, 2022
She smiled as she closed her eyes again. Horace took care of her and she took care of him. That's what a family does.
The cute and cuddly duo of Horace & Bunwinkle is back! Bunwinkle (Winkie) is still traumatized by her petnapping experience in Book 1. Horace is diligent in his brotherly duties to help her when she is overwhelmed by anxiety. It is also endearing to see the times when they don't get along and have to deal with their differences. Horace is also faithful in correcting Winkie's vocabulary snafus and tracking down the videos they need to help solve the case.What case? There is a mysterious creature getting into trash cans and breaking into houses. Is it a raccoon? Why are the Animal Control guys always lurking right when Horace & Winkie need to get out of the house and work on solving the mystery? If you loved the first book, you will definitely love this one. The illustrations are once again top notch. What I especially appreciate is the Author's Note at the end of the book giving a reality check to help kids separate fact from fiction.
The cute and cuddly duo of Horace & Bunwinkle is back! Bunwinkle (Winkie) is still traumatized by her petnapping experience in Book 1. Horace is diligent in his brotherly duties to help her when she is overwhelmed by anxiety. It is also endearing to see the times when they don't get along and have to deal with their differences. Horace is also faithful in correcting Winkie's vocabulary snafus and tracking down the videos they need to help solve the case.What case? There is a mysterious creature getting into trash cans and breaking into houses. Is it a raccoon? Why are the Animal Control guys always lurking right when Horace & Winkie need to get out of the house and work on solving the mystery? If you loved the first book, you will definitely love this one. The illustrations are once again top notch. What I especially appreciate is the Author's Note at the end of the book giving a reality check to help kids separate fact from fiction.
December 2, 2021
This early middle grade novel strikes an incredible balance of telling an engaging story with animal characters that kids love to root for and dealing with challenging issues such as how to deal with traumatic experiences in your life.
At the Homestead, things begin to go awry and all the humans blame the neighborhood raccoon. But our pet-tectives, Horace (a very refined Boston Terrier who loves quoting famous New Englanders) and Bunwinkle (a fun-loving, playful pig) don't think the raccoon is responsible. They set up to solve the mystery of what's really happening, while trying to save their human's farm.
So many kids deal with difficult things--especially with the way the pandemic has disrupted their lives. The depiction of Bunwinkle struggling with a past traumatic experience is something that is really useful for kids to see--to see effective strategies for dealing with difficulty, to learn that it's okay to struggle, to learn how to talk to other people about your struggles, regain your confidence, and face your fears.
My kids are young middle grade readers, the ideal target audience, and they loved the book (my fifth grader, who normally avoids stories about animals, loved it). They were cheering the characters on, laughing at the antics of the animal control man, and riveted to the story on every page.
While this is the second book in a series, it's written so it can easily be read as a standalone. (In fact, my fifth grader had not read the first book, yet had no trouble following events and characters in this book.)
At the Homestead, things begin to go awry and all the humans blame the neighborhood raccoon. But our pet-tectives, Horace (a very refined Boston Terrier who loves quoting famous New Englanders) and Bunwinkle (a fun-loving, playful pig) don't think the raccoon is responsible. They set up to solve the mystery of what's really happening, while trying to save their human's farm.
So many kids deal with difficult things--especially with the way the pandemic has disrupted their lives. The depiction of Bunwinkle struggling with a past traumatic experience is something that is really useful for kids to see--to see effective strategies for dealing with difficulty, to learn that it's okay to struggle, to learn how to talk to other people about your struggles, regain your confidence, and face your fears.
My kids are young middle grade readers, the ideal target audience, and they loved the book (my fifth grader, who normally avoids stories about animals, loved it). They were cheering the characters on, laughing at the antics of the animal control man, and riveted to the story on every page.
While this is the second book in a series, it's written so it can easily be read as a standalone. (In fact, my fifth grader had not read the first book, yet had no trouble following events and characters in this book.)
May 8, 2022
This isn't the kind of book I usually read as I'm not a fan of animal-narrated stories. Still, I have to admit that THE CASE OF THE RASCALLY RACCOON is a super fun read. The characters are likable, funny, and relatable (yes, relatable). Gardner's writing is engaging, so much so that I zipped through the book in one sitting. Plotwise, there's plenty of action to keep the story moving as well as a simple, but compelling mystery that makes the tale both engrossing and entertaining. Add in some important lessons about friendship, family, helping each other, and being brave (by talking about your problems with a trusted friend and facing fears), and THE CASE OF THE RASCALLY RACCOON is really just an appealing story all-around. I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would.
May 9, 2022
Second in this series.
These adorable animals siblings have to figure out who is making a mess of their trash cans and breaking into homes. They meet a new friend, Shoo, a raccoon who was injured by the mysterious burglar. Old friends return as well, and they all work together to protect their owners, save the farm, and capture the human and animal who caused the problems.
Humor and fun combined for mid to upper elementary level readers.
These adorable animals siblings have to figure out who is making a mess of their trash cans and breaking into homes. They meet a new friend, Shoo, a raccoon who was injured by the mysterious burglar. Old friends return as well, and they all work together to protect their owners, save the farm, and capture the human and animal who caused the problems.
Humor and fun combined for mid to upper elementary level readers.
April 24, 2022
We all liked this book. I didn’t like it as much as the first. Owen listened to it too and he appreciated any potty humor, like how the lemur wore a diaper. Ava liked Shoo the raccoon and I did too. Also liked how the Hogland twins kept Smokey as a pet. Kevin said he didn’t pay close enough attention to choose a favorite part due to helping with puzzles or homework while I read aloud.
March 18, 2022
My rating takes into account that this book is written for children. The tale is a fun one. It follows Horace and Bunwinkle as they find themselves with a few mysteries onhand. It all starts with a Raccoon.
June 17, 2022
I loved, loved, loved Horace and Bunwinkle and their capers in The Case of the Rascally Raccoon. My students also loved it. We read it together. I highly recommend this as a read alone book, or one to read together. Thanks to Goodreads First Reads for my copy.
March 15, 2023
The second book in this series is particularly touching as Bunwinkle, the sweet potbellied pig, struggles with the aftermath of the solving of the pet pair's first mystery. Kids will love how author PJ Gardner works things out in this highly recommended sequel.
December 29, 2021
cute story
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews