From Goodreads,"New York Times bestseller Spencer Quinn returns with a laugh-out-loud series about the most epic rivalry of our time . . . Arthur the dog vs. Queenie the cat.
From the outside, Queenie the cat and Arthur the dog appear to have a lot in common. Both pets live in the charming Blackberry Hill inn. They both love their humans, twins Harmony and Bro. They both have a fondness for sausage.
But that doesn't change the fact that they are mortal enemies.
Goofy, big-hearted Arthur loves everyone he's ever met . . . except the snobby, scheming cat who's devoted her life to ruining his.
Queenie is a bit choosier. And who can blame her? When you're brilliant AND exquisitely beautiful, you can't be expected to rub tails with commoners. Especially not slobbery dogs.
But when the twins' beloved cousin is framed for murder, Queenie and Arthur must work together to clear his name . . . something Queenie finds even more distasteful than inexpensive caviar. Can two enemies put aside their differences long enough to solve the mystery?"
Goodreads - Ruff vs. Fluff
It's time for yet another book from Scholastic. I received this book free in return for a review of the book as a part of their Scholastic Insider. The book choices for my grade level were both mystery/suspense books. I definitely judge books by their cover and I felt like this book had a very cheap and childish feel to it. Due to the book cover I was not looking forward to reading and reviewing this book, but alas I had to.
Arthur is a chubby dog who dislikes cats. Queenie is a self centered cat who dislikes dogs. Queenie and Arthur live under the same roof with their family Harmony, Bro, and Mom. Everything is normal at the inn when a man checks in searching for the Sokoki Trail. After being shown the trail Harmony and Bro return home. The next day the man is found dead. Harmony, Bro, and Mom work together to try to clear their cousin Matty who is being accused of murder. Queenie and Arthur must work to find the clues and save the family.
I really enjoyed the historical fiction ties this book had to Prohibition. The whole story lies around the idea that whiskey was being smuggled from Canada into the United States during Prohibition. I think that this would be a great way to teach about Prohibition and that alcohol was smuggled in. Unfortunately, I feel like this topic would be lost on many of my fourth graders. It is something we do not cover in standards and I would not use this in my classroom curriculum.
While I enjoyed the historical fiction aspect, there were a couple other problems I had with the book. One was that it was a bit graphic and violent at times. People were murdered and it gave details of how they were killed. I felt like it was uncalled for in a children's book. I also really despised the way this book was written. It is written from the view of the dog and cat. It gave an outside view of the story and was frankly just a pain. I wish that it had just been told from the point of view of one of the kids. I think it would be hard for a child to relate to a dog or cat's point of view.
Overall, this book was not one of Scholastic's best reads. The mystery part of it was exciting, but the back story was not age appropriate. I give this 2 stars because it just wasn't there for me as a good 4th grade level book. I don't plan on putting this in my classroom because I feel like it is too high and student's wouldn't read it.
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