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Tramp: A Detective's Story
The world’s best dog detective can’t be taught his sleuthing skills. They’re in his genes, passed down through the generations. Tramp realizes this while he’s up for sale in the neighborhood pet store. He makes friends with an assortment of animals and yes, a human family that loves him. He soon discovers that with everyone’s help, he can solve the most intricate of mysteries.
176 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2014
171 people want to read
About the author
Bill Kennedy
43 books6 followersWilliam P. "Bill" Kennedy, born 1951, is the former editor-in-chief of A+ Publishing, including MacComputing, A+, and PC Games magazines. Kennedy was an early participant in Real World Interface (RWI) along with Grinnell More, inventor of the PackBot. When RWI combined with Colin Engle, Joe Jones and Helen Greiner of ISRobotics to form iRobot. Kennedy went on to co-found, along with CEO Jeanne Dietsch, ActivMedia Robotics (later MobileRobots Inc.) where he led development efforts for the Pioneer series, the reference platform for research robots. As of 2010 he is chief technical officer of MobileRobots Inc.
Bill Kennedy is a co-author, with Chuck Musciano, of HTML: The Definitive Guide and HTML & XHTML: The Definitive Guide by O'Reilly Media.
Bill Kennedy is a co-author, with Chuck Musciano, of HTML: The Definitive Guide and HTML & XHTML: The Definitive Guide by O'Reilly Media.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 24, 2014
Tramp is a hero you will fall in love with. He's Lassie and Humphrey Bogart put together. He's a no-nonsense private eye that isn't above face licking.
Tramp, in case you haven't figured it out, is a dog. This story is just as much about him discovering his own detective powers as it is a crime caper involving an animal napping operation. I especially love the way Tramp learns how to communicate with humans. Without spoiling it, I'll say that it will make perfect sense to any boy or girl who likes to imagine what their pets are saying to them.
Throughout this fast-paced mystery, we meet a large cast of colorful characters both animal and human. Though each is memorable and entertaining in their own right, the biggest joy comes from seeing how they all work together to solve the mystery.
Tramp is a heartwarming urban dog detective story of friendship and trust. Here's to many more capers to come!
Tramp, in case you haven't figured it out, is a dog. This story is just as much about him discovering his own detective powers as it is a crime caper involving an animal napping operation. I especially love the way Tramp learns how to communicate with humans. Without spoiling it, I'll say that it will make perfect sense to any boy or girl who likes to imagine what their pets are saying to them.
Throughout this fast-paced mystery, we meet a large cast of colorful characters both animal and human. Though each is memorable and entertaining in their own right, the biggest joy comes from seeing how they all work together to solve the mystery.
Tramp is a heartwarming urban dog detective story of friendship and trust. Here's to many more capers to come!
January 27, 2015
For me, the key to whether I love a book or not is whether I fall in love with the main character. Tramp is a character I fell for right away, as he was taken from the heart of his family and had to make his way on his own, first at the pet store and then with his new humans, the Kennedys. The mystery was engaging and fun, but even more compelling was the way Tramp discovered the detecting strengths native to his Lhasa/poodle breeding – and the way he built a new family among his human and animal friends.
I gave Tramp: A Detective Story to my eight-year-old niece, Allison, and she absolutely loved it! Allison says, “I love Tramp and the animals in the pet store, especially Calico...I liked when Tramp chased the geese because I can picture myself chasing the seagulls at our beach when I was little! Tramp is like a person and he understands the people and they understand him. I was glad that Liz rescued him from the neighborhood kids...Tramp is hilarious, like when he sees the schoolbus full of kids and thinks they are being taken to be sold at the pet store and chases the bus to save them!”
Allison was full of concern, fear and sadness when reading about Bobby and the paper bags on the "deserted island". She heard the meow and jumped out of bed, yelling, "IS THAT CALICO?”
Allison says, “I felt like I was really there and I had to help save Calico!”
While reading Tramp, Allison turned to her mother (my sister) and said, “Aunt Carolyn gives me the best books, doesn’t she?” I hope Tramp’s next adventure comes out soon – I have a reputation to uphold!
I gave Tramp: A Detective Story to my eight-year-old niece, Allison, and she absolutely loved it! Allison says, “I love Tramp and the animals in the pet store, especially Calico...I liked when Tramp chased the geese because I can picture myself chasing the seagulls at our beach when I was little! Tramp is like a person and he understands the people and they understand him. I was glad that Liz rescued him from the neighborhood kids...Tramp is hilarious, like when he sees the schoolbus full of kids and thinks they are being taken to be sold at the pet store and chases the bus to save them!”
Allison was full of concern, fear and sadness when reading about Bobby and the paper bags on the "deserted island". She heard the meow and jumped out of bed, yelling, "IS THAT CALICO?”
Allison says, “I felt like I was really there and I had to help save Calico!”
While reading Tramp, Allison turned to her mother (my sister) and said, “Aunt Carolyn gives me the best books, doesn’t she?” I hope Tramp’s next adventure comes out soon – I have a reputation to uphold!
April 29, 2014
Tramp may seem like a regular dog, but he is anything but ordinary. When Tramp is taken from his home and sent to a neighborhood pet store, all he cares about is finding a family. Little does he know that those friends from the pet shop will become part of his work as a detective. Smart, quick, and able to understand humans, Tramp sets about to solve a mystery with the help of the animals and humans that he has come to know and love throughout his neighborhood.
I readily admit I have never been a dog lover. I know I know, this is sacrilegious to those who are, but I just can't help it. Lucky for me there are some wonderful cats in this story too. Tramp is a very extraordinary dog besides. Able to understand humans and make himself understood, Tramp is sure to catch the interest of its intended audience. At first I was a little unsure as to why the author decided to start the story at the pet shop as it didn't seem to have any relation to the overall plot which I originally thought was just about a dog finding a family. However, as promised, the story is a thrilling mystery in which the beginning is cleverly tied into the plot in a way that felt organic and yet a bit magical.
There isn't magic in this book per se, and yet the anthropomorphic nature of the animals did have that sense of fantasy that every child (and some adults) wish their pets had. We wish that the understood us. In a way they do. Reminiscent of Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH and Poppy & Rye, Tramp is a fun adventure story with a slightly dark twist that really shows what it means to be a friend and part of a family.
The advance reader copy of this book was provided to me by North Star Press of St. Cloud and Bill Kennedy for review purposes.
Review and Author interview originally posted on Children's Atheneum.
I readily admit I have never been a dog lover. I know I know, this is sacrilegious to those who are, but I just can't help it. Lucky for me there are some wonderful cats in this story too. Tramp is a very extraordinary dog besides. Able to understand humans and make himself understood, Tramp is sure to catch the interest of its intended audience. At first I was a little unsure as to why the author decided to start the story at the pet shop as it didn't seem to have any relation to the overall plot which I originally thought was just about a dog finding a family. However, as promised, the story is a thrilling mystery in which the beginning is cleverly tied into the plot in a way that felt organic and yet a bit magical.
There isn't magic in this book per se, and yet the anthropomorphic nature of the animals did have that sense of fantasy that every child (and some adults) wish their pets had. We wish that the understood us. In a way they do. Reminiscent of Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH and Poppy & Rye, Tramp is a fun adventure story with a slightly dark twist that really shows what it means to be a friend and part of a family.
The advance reader copy of this book was provided to me by North Star Press of St. Cloud and Bill Kennedy for review purposes.
Review and Author interview originally posted on Children's Atheneum.
May 8, 2014
Tramp is kind of an urban Hank the Cow Dog. Like Hank, Tramp is a detective worth his Milkbone Dog Biscuits. Instead of canine coyotes, Tramp is up against a gang of human coyotes of the worst sort. If you like intrigue, betrayal, mystery and rolling in dead fish then you’ll love this doggie detective story. I recommend it for ages 7 to 10 and their parents.
April 19, 2014
Tramp and his gang from Big Bob's pet shop all have something in common, what is it? Tramp uses his gift for smell to solve the mystery.
This is a fun read for middle grade students. Nice message with little violence.
This is a fun read for middle grade students. Nice message with little violence.
June 4, 2015
Won this Through Goodreads First Read.
I really liked this book. Was sweet and fun to read. Really well written. I just couldn't put it down. Had a smile on my face the whole way through. Love tramp and his family. Really lovely little book.
I really liked this book. Was sweet and fun to read. Really well written. I just couldn't put it down. Had a smile on my face the whole way through. Love tramp and his family. Really lovely little book.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews