Rider Woofson stared out from his favorite spot. From here, he could see the crowd walk through the halls on their way to class. This was Pawston Elementary School. Every day, hundreds of students carried their backpacks, lunches, and notebooks, behaving as good students should.
But this school also had a darker side. That was where Rider came in. He wanted to be the greatest puppy detective in the school—maybe in the whole city.
Even before the morning bell, Rider already had a case.
The young detective spotted his first clue. It was a trail of pencil shavings. As he walked down the hall, a teacher named Mr. Quick stopped him. “Rider, what are you doing? Your classroom is on the other side of the school.”
“I’m on a case,” Rider said. “There’s been a report of missing pencils in math class. Mrs. Plus gave me a hall pass.”
Rider showed Mr. Quick his hall pass. Then he continued on the trail. The pencil shavings led to a closed door. Rider was about to open it when another dog stepped out of the shadows.
“Don’t bother. It’s locked,” she said. The dog had curly hair and held a magnifying glass.
“Who are you, and what are you doing here?” Rider asked.
The dog introduced herself. “I’m Rora Gooddog, and I’m working on a case. Some students are missing their erasers.”