Strange Neighbors is Mary Labatt’s third in an early reader series featuring Sam the Dog Detective, an unlikely but likable hero. Sam is aided by two partners, 10-year-old Jennifer Levinsky, who can “hear” what Sam is saying, and Jennifer’s best friend, Beth.

The story begins when three very peculiar ladies with some very peculiar habits move in next door. Sam aptly names them Pumpkin, Spider Lady, and High Heels. In no time flat, Sam and his partners are convinced that the women are witches hexing everything in sight. The mystery builds swiftly and credibly. All the evidence is there. The town is hit with devastating storms, the women keep a bizarre menagerie of animals, and, of course, there is an evil stranger lurking about. Everything ties up smoothly, but not condescendingly, by the last chapter.

Labatt successfully ratchets up tension and then lets it out a notch in deference to her young readers. She doesn’t sacrifice language or characterization for plot points in this story. Sam is a charmingly self-absorbed hypochondriacal sheepdog who hates all teenagers on principle and is often more interested in her next snack than the next clue. Both Jennifer and Beth feel like characters that a young reader will look forward to meeting again in upcoming books.

Early chapter book series are notoriously difficult to pull off skillfully. Labatt infuses an underlying intelligence to this zingy offering.