Sam is a dog - sort of. She looks like a dog, but deep down - okay, maybe not so deep - she is a detective in dog's clothing. Sam smells espionage and mystery even when there is none, and she has the uncanny ability of convincing her young friends that she is on the trail of a crime - again.

     A Weekend at the Grand Hotel, the latest in Mary Labatt's "Sam, Dog Detective" series for early readers, is a light, fast-paced comedy of errors. Sam is a dog with a definite attitude. She also has a penchant for "people food" and adventure and, most importantly, she shares a sort of ESP with Jennie, the girl who lives next door. Jennie is able to hear Sam's thoughts, and, as a result, she and her friend, Beth, know exactly what Sam is thinking and follow her through the hotel as she tracks down spies who are trying to steal nuclear secrets. One catastrophe follows another until the three detectives find themselves in hot water up to their eyeballs.

     Just over 100 pages, this is an easy-to-read book. Except for a small captioned drawing of Sam at the beginning of each chapter, there are no illustrations, but the font size, content, sentence structure, and vocabulary make it an accessible story for budding readers.

Recommended.