Hare-Raising Tale

Fletcher's no ordinary basset hound. In the first place, his markings form a map of the world. In the second place, his best friend is...a flea.

Fletcher and his flea pal, Jasper, have survived a lot together — life on the streets, incarceration at the pound, even a flea bath. But now Fletcher has a new home with Jill, and things are looking up. Until Jill and her best friend, Gwen, take Fletcher to school for show-and-tell, and the class's pet rabbit disappears. Everyone knows hounds and hares don't mix, and Fletcher is accused of having done the bunny in. Can he, with a little help from Jasper and Jill and Gwen, sniff out the real rabbit-napper before it's back to the pound for Fletcher?

Marilyn Courtot - Children's Literature

Levy writes funny stories and loves puns. This one is no exception. It is a story told from a dog's viewpoint. A dog who has a map of the world on his body and is also inhabited by a talking flea. Fletcher, as he becomes known after his adoption from the animal shelter by Jill, has a series of narrow escapes. He is accused of harming the class rabbit during show-and-tell, but due to his genes and some help from Jasper the flea, he manages to sniff out the rabbit napper. It is a fairly predictable story, but right on target for the audience. A bit of mystery, lots of humor, increasing tension, a red herring and a final solution that makes the humans and animals all look good. Part of the "Ready-for-Chapters" series. 2002, Aladdin/Simon & Schuster,

Elizabeth Levy says:

Fletcher Rules!

There are three things I love — dogs, mysteries, and salami. I also am fascinated and moved by the ways we love our pets and they love us. I first wrote about Fletcher, a salami-eating basset hound, in the Something Queer Mysteries more than thirty years ago. But those books were Gwen and Jill's mysteries. I always wondered what Fletcher thought about things. I love hearing from kids and visiting schools. Children from all over the world sent me wonderful drawings of Fletcher. I decided it was time for Fletcher to tell his own stories and star in his own series. But writing is mysterious. I never knew that a friendly flea named Jasper would join Fletcher. As I began these books, Jasper just started popping up and chatting. Now, Gwen, Jill, Fletcher, Mordicai, and I have a new friend. He's rather tiny, but he's a lot of fun, and I'm looking forward to more mysteries with Fletcher and Jasper and their humans, Gwen and Jill.