March Online Book Club: The Missing Hockey Stick by Lori Briley
The Missing Hockey Stick: A Buddy and Panda Mystery by Lori Briley
Do you look at your pets and wish you knew what they were thinking? Or wonder why they do something a certain way?
As a lifelong dog lover, I often wonder what goes through my dog’s head when the delivery truck driver pulls to the curb and deposits a box on my doorstep. Usually Duke is front paws up on the picture window, barking like a maniac until the person gets back in their truck. Then he lies down and acts like he didn’t just spike the house decibel level to rock concert loudness. I can never tell if the barking is an excited “Hello!” or a “Dude, I want to bite your leg.”
In The Missing Hockey Stick, the main character Eva plays on a middle school hockey team with her best friends Josie and Mitch. They practice and play at the ice rink her father manages so her dogs Buddy and Panda get to tag along with the family.
When Eva’s prized new hockey stick goes missing, everyone pitches in to look for it, including her dogs. Buddy, an older German shorthair pointer and Panda, a young mixed breed dog really get into the investigation. Their dialogue and antics are funny and a little reminiscent of the Lethal Weapon movies with the old dog/young pup banter. These guys keep working on the mystery even after the humans have given up.
I enjoyed the whole story, and didn’t solve the mystery before the ending. The author really spent time getting into the potential thoughts of the dogs and did a great job featuring them as the main detectives.
Geared toward 8-12 year olds and clocking in at 74 pages, the writing is not juvenile. I think children within that age range would enjoy this book, as well as younger kids who read at higher than grade level. Older kids who struggle to read would still enjoy this one without feeling like they’re being talked down to.
The next book in the series comes out in late March or early April. It’s called No Girls Allowed! Love the title!
Here’s the description:
Who doesn’t want girls to play hockey? As one of two girls on her hockey team, Eva is upset when someone posts a sign on the locker room door that says, “No Girls Allowed!” but she tries to pretend it didn’t happen.
More signs show up, and Eva must face the fact that someone doesn’t want her and her friend Josie on the team. When all signs point to the culprit being a member of her own team, will Eva stand up for herself or continue to brush it aside?
And can her dogs Buddy and Panda figure out who is posting the signs before it tears the team apart?
I had the pleasure of meeting Lori Briley at the Las Vegas conference last fall. When I heard that she’d written a mystery based on her German shorthair dog (Buddy and Lori are pictured above), I knew I’d have to read it!
Don’t be afraid to try them yourself. And if you have a young person in your life ages 8-12 who’s a sports and/or dog lover, The Missing Hockey Stick would make a good gift!
Kelly Brakenhoff is the author of 15 books and a seasoned ASL interpreter. She splits her writing energy between two series: cozy mysteries set on a college campus and children’s books featuring Duke the Deaf Dog.
Parents, kids, and teachers love the children’s books and activity guides because they introduce ASL and the Deaf community through fun, engaging stories. And if you enjoy a smart female sleuth, want to learn more about Deaf culture, or have ever lived in a place where livestock outnumber people, the Cassandra Sato Mystery series will have you connecting the dots faster than a group project coming together the night before it’s due.
A proud mom to four adults, head of the dog-snuggling department, and grandma to a growing brood of perfectly behaved grandkids, Kelly and her husband call Nebraska home.