Aliens in Woodford

Deborah Dowson is a Canadian children’s librarian in North Wales,
Pennsylvania.

Nothing is worse for Sam, the self-proclaimed dog detective, than having
nothing to detect. Sam is moping around the house one night, nearly
dying of boredom, when she sees mysterious lights bobbing up and down in
a field at the edge of town. A television show about aliens sparks her
imagination and she is sure that the lights are coming from an alien
ship. Sam convinces 10-year-old Jennie (who can read Sam’s thoughts)
to investigate. The more Jennie and her friend Beth read about aliens
and observe the lights, the more likely it seems to them that Woodford
will soon be the target of an alien invasion. There are some frantic and
frightening moments before the girls realize how embarrassingly wrong
they have been.

A telepathic dog who has a penchant for eating bizarre junk-food
combinations, imagines all kinds of alien-invasion scenarios, and has
illusions of becoming a world-famous detective has certain kid appeal.
Sam’s foibles are endearing and her thirst for adventure is the
catalyst for the action. Sam’s impulsive character is contrasted
nicely with the more demure Jennie whose main objective is to keep them
from getting into trouble. The author does a fine job of pacing the
tension until the final surprising and amusing outcome. Well written
with an appealing theme and likable characters, Aliens in Woodford is a
good choice for beginning chapter-book readers. Recommended.