Full-on comedy drama here, as a kid with a new-ish dog, called Shelter, has to prove the mutt did not tear up his maths homework. Not only is it a sprightly little crime piece for sprightly little readers, but the whole thing is laced through with the most ridiculous Tim Vine-styled quips and dad jokes. "I tried to imagine what it would be like to suddenly have no hand, but I was stumped" – you get the idea. "Like an owl with a stuck neck, I was going to have to watch my back", indeed. I think there is an issue with the ending – while the story proves it was about something else, it only disproves that in turn, is about the most I can say, and it feels awkward on reflection. But before the end I had the beginning and the middle, and those (at least, in that order) are great fun. A strong and strongly punning four stars.

Hugh is determined to find out who destroyed his maths homework. HIs parents think it’s his havoc-wreaking dog, but Hugh is on the case, and won’t rest until he has the answer. A very funny story with lots of illustrations makes this a great read for early, or less confident, readers.

For anyone who has ever read a Guy Bass book before, you know that his books are funny. Taking Shelter was no exception. As I was reading this, I was constantly picturing the many children in my class who would love it. The combination of a funny main character, comic book elements, it not being too long, getting straight into the action, the illustrations, the who-done-it element - just all of it, will appeal to so many young readers.
This is going to be a hit in many primary classrooms; I've already preordered a copy for mine! A pun-packed, detective, comedy comic read. Just fab.
Thank you to NetGalley and Andersen Press for allowing me to read in exchange for a honest review.

My class will love trying to get to the bottom of the mystery. With numerous suspects, laugh-out-loud humour and a smattering of cartoon-type images, I can imagine that this will be very popular.

When Hugh Dunnit finds a stray dog at a bus shelter, he finds a new best friend.

He calls the stray Staffy, Shelter, after where they first met, and takes her home to wreak havoc on his house! She loves to chew and she is not fussy about what she uses to keep her dentition in tip-top shape. When Hugh's maths homework gets destroyed, his parents blame the dog and put her on notice of going to the dog shelter (as against the bus shelter!).

Hugh is determined to keep her and sets about to disprove the old 'dog ate my homework' line and gets on the case to find the true culprit, with hilarious results. We are kept guessing throughout and we did not see the twist at the end coming!

A great graphic novel for newly confident readers age 7-9, superb illustrations and laugh out loud humour. We feel that we must share our favourite line in the book (and possibly ever)... 'sneak up on you like a soundproof ninja in soft socks' - what more could you ask for!

Thank you to NetGalley and Andersen Press for sending this eBook for review consideration, all opinions are our own.

This is funny and sweet. Will definitely be buying it for my classroom. Loved the illustrations, and who wouldn’t want to be his friend?