about the book
Hi. My name is Buddy. Every day I come to the elementary school with Connor and his Mom. I am a therapy dog, a listener dog…and a detective.
In Mom’s office I help children who have problems and need to hug a dog. I like the hugs a lot. My other job is in the library. The kids who can’t read well come to the library, and I listen to them read out loud. It is a very important job because it helps them become better readers.
Humans don’t know I am a detective, but I am. Right now I am working on a new case that involves the library.
Some kids think the library is haunted by a girl named Agatha and claim to have seen her. They are lying. Dogs can always smell a human lie. The No Name cat says he has seen Agatha. too. I can’t tell when cats lie, but Jazzy, my dog buddy, says she has also seen the ghost. Since dogs never ever lie, she’s got to be telling the truth.
I don’t think I believe in ghosts. but could there be one in the library? I have seen doors close all by themselves and felt a strange cold draft ripple my fur. That’s pretty spooky. Then “eleventy-two days ago (or maybe yesterday) I heard strange noises under the floor”. And just moments ago, a book fell from the shelf and nobody was even near it! Now that Jemma is done reading, I am going to sneak over and investigate.
The book has a strange scent! And then I see it—a creature with a blue tongue! Is that what a ghost looks like? I’ve got to tell someone! Unfortunately humans are next to impossible to communicate with!
about the author
Born in Fairmont, Minnesota, Dori Hillestad Butler grew up in a neighborhood that had no kids. Both of her parents were only children so she never had cousins. Her only brother, David, was born when she was nine. With a lot of time to herself, young Dori became an avid reader and writer.
Dori attended college at Bemidji State University, the University of Minnesota, and Hamline University. Though she planned on studying child psychology in grad school, her husband encouraged her to try writing. It was the best suggestion she could have gotten! Dori began writing articles and short stories for children’s magazines. She has written 42 picture books and children’s novels (ten of those as a ghost writer).
Dori lives in Coralville, Iowa, with her husband and a big black dog named Mouse. Her two grown sons live in Seattle, and both have published articles in magazines—they must take after their mom!
Dori and her dog read with children as part of the Pet Partners program. She also sponsors an online website, The Lucky Pen, for young writers. Perhaps the website was good research for her book The Truth About Truman School.
Sources:
Author website
Author biography : JRank
Author interview : ALSC blog
Also by Dori Hillestad Butler:
The Buddy Files series. Albert Whitman. 2010-2012.
F Is for Firefighting. Pelican Publishing. 2007.
about the illustrator
Jeremy Tugeau picked up his first paintbrush around the same time he picked up his first crayon. Born into an artistic family, he was brought up on the great masters of art.
After receiving his Bachelor’s in Fine Arts degree from Syracuse University, Jeremy pursued a career as both a fine artist and a book illustrator. In his original oil pieces, he tries to catch the fleeting effects of light and color in modern settings. In his book illustrations, he also emphasizes color, but in a more playful manner.
Jeremy and his wife Nicole also run Team Tugeau 2, an agency that represents artists in the United States and five other countries. Nicole runs the agency and Jeremy continues to do illustration work while providing creative resources and promotional work for their company. Jeremy, Nicole, and their three children currently make their home in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.
Sources:
Illustrator website
Illustrator interview : Kathleen Temean : Writing and Illustrating
Also illustrated by Jeremy Tugeau:
The The Buddy Files series by Dori Hillestad Butler. Albert Whitman & Company. 2010-2012.
Lizzie Newton and the San Francisco Earthquake by Stephan Krensky. Lerner Classroom. 2010.
Hip Hop Speaks to Children : A Celebration of Poetry With a Beat by Nikki Giovanni. Sourcebooks Jabberwocky. 2008.
Always an Olivia : A Remarkable Family History by Carolivia Herron. Kar-Ben Copies. 2007.
Who Were the Beatles? by Geoff Edgers. Grosset & Dunlap. 2006.
read more!
The Case of the School Ghost (Buddy Files, Book 6) by Dori Hillestad Butler
The fourth graders are sleeping over in the elementary school library, and Mr. Poe, the custodian, tells them the story of Agatha, the ghost that is rumored to haunt the school. Suddenly, secret notes appear, something starts banging, and a ghostly voice disturbs the kids. Buddy is determined to get to the bottom of this haunting.
Ivy and Bean Take the Case (Ivy and Bean, Book 10) by Annie Barrows
After watching her mother’s favorite detective movie, Bean turns private eye with her friend, Ivy. All the kids on her street, laugh: there are no mysteries there. But when Ivy and Bean investigate a mysterious yellow rope tied to the chimney of Dino’s house, the other kids are not laughing anymore!
Number One Kid (Zigzag Kids, Book 1) by Patricia Reilly Giff
Mitchell, a new student at ZigZag School, is worried about fitting in at the school, so he participates in new activities while attending the after-school program. Even though he wears a shirt that reads, “I’m #1,” Mitchell isn’t very confident about his ability to make friends—or to be good at anything.