The Underdogs Catch a Cat Burglar

The Underdogs #1

by Kate Temple

Perfect for fans of comical animal do-gooders like The Bad Guys, The InvestiGators, and The Chicken Squad, this hilarious chapter book series follows a group of bumbling dog detectives and their newest recruit—a cat! In this first case, the Underdogs are hot on the tail of a cat burglar.

Crime is on the rise in Dogtown, and it’s all thanks to a mysterious cat burglar! They’ve stolen everything from handbags to ham sandwiches, and nobody has been able to catch them. Now The Underdog Detective Agency is on the case . . . but as their name might suggest, they aren’t exactly the best sleuths in town.

Barkley and the other dogs at the agency have been in a bit of a slump, but this latest case could turn it all around. So to catch this menacing cat burglar, they may have to do the unthinkable and hire their first-ever cat detective. Enter Fang, a street-smart, one-eyed feline and the newest member of the team.

Being a cat in a dog’s world isn’t easy, but Fang is determined to prove she’s got what it takes. Will Fang and Barkley be able to work together to solve the case and help make Underdogs the top dogs once again? You’ll have to read to find out in this paws-itively hilarious mystery!

Genres: Mystery, Humor, Fiction, Animals, Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Childrens

160 pages, Paperback

First published May 5, 2021

About the author

Hello to you! We are Kate and Jol Temple and we write silly books for kids! Some of them love to rhyme and others do not at all but all of them have pictures, because pictures are cool and anyone who says they're not is a two headed yeti. We live in Sydney with our human sons and a dog that thinks it's a raccoon.

We love to visit schools. We talk about and read picture books to little kids preschool through to junior primary. We also love to talk to bigger kids about our chapter books and what it's like being a writer. For more info about our school visits contact us and we'll be in touch.

Reviews

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

First sentence: Let me tell you how many cats there used to be in THE UNDERDOG DETECTIVE AGENCY.... Zero. Zilch. Not one. Then along came Fang. One eye. Three teeth. A kink in her tail. You wouldn't pick her as a Dogtown detective, would you?

Premise/plot: Fang is a cat. Fang was raised in Dogtown. Fang wants to join the Underdogs Detective Agency. But she is a cat. Oh no! (I jest). Since Fang is the only applicant and there is a cat burglar on the loose, Fang gets to join. Can Fang (a cat) catch a cat burglar.

My thoughts: Probably a large part of my finding this meh, meh, super-meh was mood. (Though I don't recall being in a mood when I sat down with the book. Clearly by the end, I wasn't feeling it.) If you don't find it absolutely hilarious that a CAT--get this a CAT, an actual CAT--wants to work with dogs and catch a CAT BURGLAR, then this one probably won't be your cup of tea. The book's really counting on you finding this CAT trying to fit in with dogs thing to be an absolute RIOT.

Fang (and company) do have a case to solve. And this case does involve--potentially--an actual cat as a cat burglar. This number one suspect is also a cat star. But a suspect is just that--a suspect who is innocent until proven guilty. Will the cat be the actual cat burglar? Maybe. Maybe not.

Again, I think the book is counting on you finding a CAT to be a CAT burglar to be a delightful hoot.

I am not the intended audience (obviously). I somehow or other got in a mood while reading this one. It probably isn't the book's fault. Kids may love this one. Especially all the pee jokes. (Dogs peeing is hilarious, don't you know!)

[寿理 宮本 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is sort of in between a graphic novel and a regular illustrated book, since every page is illustrated and there are sometimes dialogue balloons, but there are also paragraphs of text, besides the story being targeted at younger readers.

The mystery is predictable but cute, though the main things I don't like are the usual animal myths, of Kitty DeClaw liking milk* and bribing Ratzak with cheese slices.

Otherwise, it's rather nice, having a main character with an obvious disability like having only one eye! Not a common feature, especially in younger reader books! Would be nicer if they had solved the mystery without stealing and trashing the other detectives' HELICOPTER, haha... I guess that's just something that gets swept under the carpet for detective stories.

Recommended for mystery fans! (even if the culprit is painfully obvious to experienced readers)

*well, it's true that cats like milk, but it's bad for them, while Kitty seems like the type to mind her diet

[Kraken_libri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ebbene devo dire che mi ha felicemente sorpresa questa investigazione.
Ovviamente non vi nascondo che avevo facilmente indovinato dal primo momento il colpevole, grazie al mio intuito e qualche allenamento "Poirot".
La cosa più sorprendente è stata, mentre leggevo, di avere la sensazione di stare vedendo una puntata di Scooby-Doo, insieme alla sua banda alle prese con un caso.
Ovviamente di simile non ha nulla, essendo tutti i personaggi animali e non essendoci alcun elemento "horror".
Comunque l'ho trovato un libro assolutamente apprezzabile e prefetto per iniziare a scoprire i primi gialli, le prime investigazioni per Piccoli lettori.

[Judy Wollin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fang is a tabby cat. She’s been raised in Dog Town and knows lots about dogs. She’s looking for excitement and sees an advertisement for an undercover dog detective. What could be better. A cat disguised as a dog detective in disguise.
Fang goes to work for the Under Dog Detective Agency. Someone has been stealing odd things. Maybe it’s a cat, maybe it’s not. Fang is determined to find out.
I enjoyed the humour and Fang’s go-get-them attitude.
Recommended for Middle Grade 8+

[Ozsaur · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fang is a cat that grew up in Dogtown. After graduating from school, she's at a loss with what to do with her life, until she finds the Underdog Detective Agency. There, she gets the chance to help find the infamous Cat Burglar.

The illustrations were cute, and I like how they helped bring the story to life. The story was cohesive, and came to a satisfying ending. Kids would really enjoy this book.

[Kristen]

For fans of The Bad Guys or Dog Man this would be a good recommendation. It's not a graphic novel, but it's highly illustrated so should still appeal to graphic novel fans. The humor isn't for me, as an adult, but I think kids will find it funny. I'm debating whether it's a little too young to booktalk to 3rd graders--it's definitely an easy sell to 1st and 2nd graders who are looking for slightly longer, but not too long, early chapter books.

[Lex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wish I had read this before I wrote my creative writing assignment; the dog puns were MWAH (and they did Jurassic Bark too!!)

Gorgeous little detective tale that gives me the female Ghostbusters vibes except with canines and a loveable disabled cat in a "town gone to the dogs" who doesn't let anything stop her and her sick landing skills. Go off Kate and Jol.

[Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this for book club with my first grader. It’s a great introductory whodunnit book with fun twists. Shows how you don’t have to fit the job typically to be helpful and have perspective. Also the puns are a wonderful way to introduce wordplay to kids.

[Bene Vogt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is how to do a detective story for kids. Not entirely devoid of darkness and allusions to injustice in the world, but with enough funny hijinks to elevate the mood, a case that allows the young readers to guess along and nice fluid animation-inspired artwork.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can a cat work for The Underdog Detective Agency? Why not? After all, they are trying to catch a cat burglar.

Tons of puns and other word play keep things interesting. Fans of the Bad Guys series will probably pick this one up, too.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love mystery stories and this is a fun, to the point detective story with an animal cast. This is perfect for fans of Zootopia wanting another animal-led mystery. I greatly enjoyed it and definitely recommend it!

[Ms. Lang · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun and quick paced humorous mystery. Perfect for fans of Investigators who are looking for something that has a more traditional chapter book structure. The characters are funny and endearing and make you want to follow them on their next case.

[FranciD2 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mi è piaciuto tutto il libro, ma la parte che mi è piaciuta di più è stata l'ultima frase, quando avevano risolto il mistero e Carl manda un messaggio e dice: "ragazzi, rientrate alla base, c'è un nuovo caso da leccarsi i baffi!"

[Bec · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this more than Bad Guys (am I allowed to say that?)

[Cate45 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is SOOOOOO funny! My 7 year old will only read DogMan, this is the first new thing he's loved. So full of great drawings and the jokes are even funny to me. Love it can't wait for the next one.

[Archibald Haddock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun fast-paced action and humour. Highly engaging illustrations cover to cover. It had us guessing who the culprit was right until the end.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

A one-eyed cat named Fang is welcomed into the Underdog Detective Agency. Hi-jinks ensue. Great representation of all animals; the rat was a little stereotypical though.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

With plenty of humor and a fun mystery, this Australian import is perfect for fans of Bad Guys.

[Arman Waggoner · Rating 4 out of 5]

love the animal puns and wordplay and the illustration

[Sharon Buxton · Rating 3 out of 5]

C. fiction, early elementary, humor

[Ron Frampton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tabby cat named fang joins the under dog detective agency to help solve a case.

[Samantha Small · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was genuinely surprised at how literally laugh-out-loud funny this was!

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr 8 loves this (I enjoyed it too)!

[Nita · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Good for elementary.

[Cheryl Gladfelter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun start to a series, where a cat joins the Underdog Detective Agency. I love a fun mystery, and I love finding books with a character named Carl in it.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable read. My kids liked the cat puns like VIP is “Very Important Pussycat”. Too bad the rest of the series isn’t available at the library.

[FranciD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mi è piaciuto tutto il libro, ma la parte che mi è piaciuta di più è stata l'ultima frase, quando avevano risolto il mistero e Carl manda un messaggio e dice: "ragazzi, rientrate alla base, c'è un nuovo caso da leccarsi i baffi!"

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super fun detective with lots of chuckle-inducing lines! Kids who love The Bad Guys will lovvvve this one!