Kai Rivera is eight years old, in third grade, and never far from a sheet of graph paper. He makes a plan for everything. Bo is a scruffy golden mix with a red collar, two floppy ears and a very serious interest in food. Bo is loyal, dry and usually right.
And Kai can hear what Bo is thinking. Nobody else can. Except you, the reader.
The dog who says what everyone is thinking
Bo’s thoughts are the part kids quote back at the dinner table. In Book 1 he puts it plainly: “Disobeying is not helping. I looked it up.” In Book 2, after a wave takes the sand kingdom: “The ocean took the castle. The ocean did not take the snacks. We are fine.”
Bo isn’t there to preach. He’s there to be honest, and a little hungry, while Kai figures things out.
The family around them
Cedar Grove is a small town with a big cast:
- Mira, Kai’s six-year-old sister. Big feelings, bigger heart.
- Mom (Elena), an art teacher who notices what everyone else misses.
- Dad (Jonah), round glasses, fixes cars, fixes moods.
- Grandpa Asher, who lives in the sunroom, carves wood, flies kites and tells the truth gently.
- Micah, Kai’s best friend, always up for a build.
- Cousin Ben, seven, one front tooth missing, a yellow toy hammer. Breaks things. Means well.
Where to start
Start with Bo’s First Day, the free story of how a boy named Kai met a dog named Bo. Then read the books in order, beginning with God Is With Me. The full cast is on the Meet Kai & Bo page.