In the second book of the “Boomer’s Tales” series, A Hard Nut to Crack, Chloe’s friend, Robbie, lets his dog out in his backyard. When he goes to let Hoppy back in, the fence gate is open, and Hoppy is gone. Robbie runs over to Chloe’s house and tells Nana Weathers and Chloe what has happened. Nana Weathers invites Robbie and his family and some other friends to come over to the house to come up with a plan to find Hoppy. Here is an excerpt from Chapter 6: Clue. “I believe it may have been a child or a teen who took Hoppy,” Nana Weathers said. “Robbie found a candy wrapper in the yard near the fence gate. Of course, the wrapper could have blown into the yard, but it’s our only clue, aside from some disappearing items from Pet Friend.”
Have you ever experienced the disappearance of a pet? When I was a child, I had a cat that disappeared. I looked and looked for him. I rode around the neighborhood on my bike calling his name and asking neighbors if they had seen him. A friend and I loved to ride our bikes together. One day we rode our bikes over to the high school not far from our neighborhood. As we rounded one of the corners, I heard a meow. Lo and behold, Pumpkin had found me.
In “A Hard Nut to Crack,” the disappearance of Hoppy brings family and friends together. The concepts of friendship, teamwork, and telling the truth in this book are valuable lessons for children to learn.