Reviewed by Ruffina Oserio for Readers' Favorite

Jordan Hines' D.O.G. 2.0 is the third book in the Boy and His D.O.G. series. The story follows twelve-year-old Ben Summers, who likes to be called B.L.U. or Ben Level Upgrade, a superhero. He faces his most personal struggle when a record-breaking blizzard buries Dunhaven. Rogue TechPals seize the opportunity to attack. The villains steal a laptop hiding the evil Professor Hextron and kidnap Ben to a secret moon base. Ben and D.O.G. 2.0 escape to an alien planet called Celestara, consult with the original and distracted Professor Hextron, and reunite with the TaskForce for a showdown at Boston Garden. But chaos follows these two, including Grandpa stumbling into an underground headquarters, a clever chip that turns D.O.G. 2.0 into a tail-chasing P.U.P.P.Y. (Programmable Utility Protection Pup, Youth-version), and a birthday threatened by all that is happening.

D.O.G. 2.0 is middle-grade sci-fi adventure at its most playful, and the voice is terrific, allowing the psyche and the inner world of the young hero, Ben, to shine through the pages. The humor lands powerfully through Ben’s first-person voice, and it is self-deprecating and full of heart. The bond between Ben and D.O.G. 2.0 illuminates the writing, and the probability-quoting logic makes the robot a fun character to follow. You are thrust into a universe that is imaginatively accomplished with talking plants and game-show-host dolphins in Celestara and the Luminal Vanguard headquarters beneath a vet clinic. The action moves from a video game with levels, missions, and boss fights to the blizzard brawl, the VR trials pitting teammates against sharks, carrot harvesters, and penguins. Jordan Hines writes prose that will delight young readers, with the right diction and scenes that excite fans of the genre. This book is action-packed, with a twisty plot that follows teamwork, friendship, and loyalty to a denouement in which outsmarting the villain beats overpowering him. It is a wildly fun read.