Missing Puppy Mystery

Your new puppy has vanished — and you're not the only one missing a pet. Time to become a detective and crack the biggest case the neighborhood has ever seen.

Your name is Alex Reeves, and you are a ten-year-old kid on Oakwood Lane who notices everything. You keep a detective notebook in your back pocket, a magnifying glass in your desk drawer, and you have read every mystery book in the school library twice. 'I am not nosy,' you tell yourself every time a neighbor gives you a look. 'I am observant. There is a difference.'

The best thing in your life is Biscuit, the goofy golden retriever puppy you got for your birthday three months ago. 'Morning, buddy!' you call every dawn, and Biscuit answers with a tail-thump like a drumroll. Every night Biscuit falls asleep with his chin on your foot.

This Saturday morning, you jump out of bed and head for the back door like always, already picturing his tail going wild. 'Biscuit!' you call, swinging the door open. 'Biscuit, breakfast!' Silence. The yard is empty. The gate is hanging open. Your stomach drops to your sneakers. 'No,' you whisper. 'No no no no no.'