Bark Twice for Murder

After the death of his parents, Harry keeps busy by making food for the unhoused in his grandmother's food truck.

That's how he meets and befriends Stanley, an excellent cook and teacher with only two possessions: a precious recipe binder and a grumpy dog named Waffles. Then Stanley turns up dead, the victim of a grisly murder, and his treasured recipe book is gone. Harry is shocked-who would do such a thing? That is exactly what Waffles wants to find out. Yes, Waffles, the dog that is now talking to Harry and only Harry. Waffles reveals that in his past life he was a detective and Stanley's friend before he too was murdered and then reincarnated as a dog. Waffles wants to follow the crumbs and piece together Stanley's murder, but he can't do it without Harry. Will this souped-up duo be able to take down a heaping serving of criminal characters, or will they be the next dish on the murderer's menu?

This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading-level book for middle grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don't like to read!
Key Selling Points:

• Fourteen-year-old Harry teams up with a jaded detective who has been reincarnated into a dog, in this entertaining food-filled mystery.

• The story has humour and hijinks as well as real jeopardy, suspense and a twisty plot that will challenge and captivate readers.

• The protagonist is an avid chef and food plays an important role in the story and the way the character processes grief.

• Includes an exploration of the unhoused and homelessness, grief and mental illness

• John Lekich is an award-winning journalist and a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award.

• Enhanced features (highly-readable font, cream paper, larger trim size) to increase reading accessibility for dyslexic and other striving readers.
In this high-interest accessible novel for middle-grade readers, fourteen-year-old Harry pairs up with a talking dog to solve the mystery of their friend Stanley's murder.
John Lekich is an award-winning journalist, essayist, film critic and author. He has written several critically acclaimed novels for young adult readers, including The Prisoner of Snowflake Falls, Murder at the Hotel Hopeless and The Losers' Club, which drew on John's personal experience with cerebral palsy and was a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award. His YA fiction has been recognized by organizations including The Young Adult Library Services Association and The Canadian Library Association. John lives in Vancouver. Orca Currents are short, high-interest novels with contemporary themes written specifically for middle-school students reading below grade level. Reading levels from grade 2.0 to 5.0. Waffles with a side of murder
"Bark Twice for Murder is a masterfully written, deliciously weird mystery. Despite the outlandish plot, the book is sensitive to issues like homelessness and mental illness. A must-add to any collection."