The Werewolf Club Meets the Hound of the Basketballs (Werewolf Club Ready for Chapters)

From School Library Journal Grades 2-4--A disappointing story from two authors usually noted for their funny, creative writing. Mr. Talbot, a teacher and Werewolf Club adviser, takes the group on a field trip to Basketball Hall, the ancestral home of his uncle, Hugo Basketball. There they meet the Barrymores, the servants. Hugo hopes that the young werewolves can get rid of the monstrous Hound of the Basketballs that has plagued his family for generations. The "hound" turns out to be just a small, fat dog that the Barrymores have made gassy and frightening by feeding it knackwurst and sauerkraut-just to annoy the Basketballs. The main action here is eating knackwurst. There is little or no suspense or mystery. And there is no sports/basketball connection except for the name of the family. E. W. Hildick's and Patricia Reilly Giff's easy-to-read, humorous mysteries are much better choices.