Dog Man Unleashed, written by Dav Pilkey, reviewed by Klaudia Janek

Summary: This is the second book in the Dog Man series and readers will get a quick overview of what happened in the last book. This book is divided into short chapters. The police chief and the rest of the department are still getting used to Dog Man being half human and half canine. The police officers decide to throw a party for the Chief and Dog Man is responsible for the present. He thinks a fish will be a good idea. Lots of mischief ensues. Petey the cat comes back in this story. He tries to get out of jail and draws Flat Petey. Flat Petey is evil. Petey and Dog Man are left to pick up the pieces of this latest mess.

Straight Talk for Librarians: This book is a must-have for elementary and middle school classrooms and libraries. This book and author have proven over and over that some reluctant readers become their readers through graphic novels like the Dog Man series. The vocabulary and wordplay that Pilkey uses in his books are quite sophisticated and readers will get a kick out of finding them. I think it makes the most sense to read the books in series order, however, a reader could just sit down with this book and understand the adventure. Pilkey’s writing and illustrations speak to a wide range of readers. Pilkey ends this book with a “how-to” drawing section of the characters in this book, which I think readers (and budding illustrators) will really enjoy. I recommend the hardcover for classrooms and libraries as this is a high circulating book. There are all sorts of connections to drawing, reading, storytelling, comic drawing, storyboarding activities that could be done in conjunction with this book.