This fourth installment of a middle-grade adventure series offers the continuing escapades of an intrepid cocker spaniel and his squad of 12-year-old humans.

Dylan, an American cocker spaniel extraordinaire, is at the farmers market in Brea, California, with his favorite human, Casey Donovan, and the boy’s best friend, Sumo Modragon. Dylan has come a long way since he first arrived in the United States less than a year ago. He was adopted in South Korea by Aiden Donavan, an American teaching abroad. But Aiden had no interest in training the rambunctious, increasingly destructive pooch. He shipped him off to his kid brother, Casey, and their mother, Colleen, in California, where he is not only loved, but has been given the opportunity to shine as well. As Casey explains, “Dylan knows American Sign Language. He can count to ten. He does Agility and he passed his America Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen test.” Dylan also understands both English and Korean. Now, the dog is having his portrait drawn by a local street artist. Accustomed to posing for pictures—his celebrity as a search-and-rescue dog has been popularized through Sumo’s social media posts—he holds still while watching a woman with blond hair moving in a strange pattern throughout the crowd. When he sees her stealing an older woman’s wallet, he’s off the chair in a flash, chasing after her and catching hold of the hem of her hoodie. Add “crime fighter” to his impressive resume. But the big excitement is yet to come. Colleen, who is in the book business, has billionaire Cranston Pantswick, aka Cranky Pants, as a client. He has arranged for Dylan, Colleen, Casey, and Sumo to fly to Oahu, Hawaii, for a photo shoot for his upcoming book. Dylan will get to surf, take a helicopter ride, go zip lining, and help catch the bad guy who is stealing the water from Oahu’s Sacred Falls. And in the process, Dylan’s Squad will add a new, albeit reluctant, member, Oahu local Kekoa Ailana, a 12-year-old boy still mourning the recent death of his grandfather.

Troy limits Dylan’s actions to only those things that are physically possible for a real dog to accomplish. The canine’s vocalizations are restricted to whines, arfs, and the occasional “grrrr.” But through the magic of fiction, readers are treated to his thoughts (printed in italics), and these reveal his sensitivity, enthusiasm, curiosity, and charming, childlike innocence. The author also strategically integrates tidbits of information into the story for her middle-grade readers, such as primers on surfing and zip lining, plus pieces of Hawaiian culture and traditions. There are also two glossaries at the end, one for Hawaiian terminology and the other an introduction to ASL. The simply composed text is a gentle, easy read, with constant action and plenty of chuckles to keep young readers engaged. And woven throughout the enjoyable narrative are implicit messages of kindness and compassion. When Kekoa, who has been consistently rude to the canine’s squad, reveals his fear of zip lining, it is Casey and Dylan who lend an encouraging hand (and paw), breaking the tension—and beginning a new friendship.
An entertaining and upbeat tale with an ethnically diverse cast and a delightful, perceptive dog.