Play Book Tag discussion

Riley Mack and the Other Known Troublemakers - Chris Grabenstein

3 1/2 stars

Riley Mack has a reputation with the local policeman as a troublemaker, but really he and his friends look out for the little guys and protect them from bullies. Unfortunately, the biggest bully is the police chief's son. When Riley's friend's new labradoodle puppy is stolen, Riley and his friends work together to find out who stole the puppy and to return it to its rightful home. Along the way they manage to bring down an unlawful puppy mill and foil a plot to rob the bank.

This was a fun read that I can see appealing to kids in the intended audience. The characters were appealing, the humor usually hit the spot, and the adventure filled the entire story. I did reduce the rating half a star because they took on some pretty dangerous stuff when there were loving adults around them that really could have helped them out. Overall, I think that kids in the middle school range would enjoy reading about hijinks of Riley and his friends and how they can outsmart the grownups around them - especially the bad guys.