INVASION OF THE DOGNAPPERS

A rash of dognappings prompts a young sleuth’s obvious (to him) conclusion that space aliens are to blame.

Seeing several dogs suddenly vanish, leaving collars and leashes behind, 10-year-old Logan gallops over the understandable doubts of his friends and his open-minded single mom to organize an “Intergalactic Canine Rescue Unit.” Under its aegis, he stakes out his own aging and comically flatulent hound Bubba and cruises the ragged edge of a major grounding by haring off after supposed suspects without parental notification. Being the sort of author who could play his premise either way, Jennings (Guinea Dog, 2010; Beastly Arms, 2001) chucks in clues and red herrings galore but keeps readers in the dark—until, more than halfway through, Logan’s determined investigation brings him face to snout with the culprits and lands him penned, naked, among the missing canines. Rising ingeniously to the triple challenge of escaping, negotiating the return of the purloined pooches and keeping his clothes on (they keep disappearing), Logan proves a protagonist worth admiring—displaying a level of focus and dedication matched only by his long-standing, gonzo obsession with aliens.

Just another alien invasion headed off by solid detective work. (Science fiction. 10-12)