King & Kayla and the Case of the Secret Code

AUTHOR: Dori Butler
ILLUSTRATOR: Nancy Meyers

From the Publisher:

King & Kayla are back on the case in this laugh-out-loud mystery from the Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Award-winning series.

King and Kayla receive a mysterious letter written in code. Mason received an almost identical letter. How can they crack the code?

Kayla notices that there aren’t any vowels in most of the words; you can’t write words without vowels. When she compares her letter to Mason’s, only one word is different. Sensitive King notices that the letter smells like Jillian. Why would Jillian write them letters in code?

With simple, straightforward language and great verbal and visual humor, the King & Kayla series is perfect for newly independent readers. King and Kayla model excellent problem-solving skills, including working as a team, gathering facts, making lists, and evaluating evidence.

Leah’s Thoughts:

Told from the perspective of a lovable dog named King, this mystery series is clever, funny, and perfect for dog lovers and young readers. Each book introduces a simple case and shows Kayla and King working through what they know and what they don’t, which helps build early reasoning skills in a fun and engaging way. These are ideal first chapter books for ages 5 to 9.