Meet the whole pet team
Start with The Great Pet Heist, which introduces Butterbean, Oscar, Walt, Marco, Polo, and the apartment building behind every later case.
Book Series · 5 Books
The Great Pet Heist Books
In order from The Great Pet Heist to The Great Puppypalooza.
Five funny, illustrated mysteries follow Butterbean and a resourceful team of apartment pets through increasingly ambitious heists, investigations, and rescues.
Reviewed by the Bookroo Editors Updated
Reading order
How to Read The Great Pet Heist Books
Read the five stories in publication order, beginning with The Great Pet Heist and ending with The Great Puppypalooza. Each mystery can be enjoyed on its own, but the first book introduces the pet team and their human neighbors.
Publisher listings also include two boxed collections. Those repackage the same stories rather than adding new adventures, so they are not counted as books 6 and 7.
Sources: Simon & Schuster's official five-story series results, The publisher's official first-book page.
For parents
What Parents Should Know
The lighthearted capers include an older owner falling and being hospitalized, the pets' fear of being sent to a shelter, suspected theft, break-ins, vandalism, kidnapping, escapes, and mild animal danger. A ghost mystery adds spooky noises and mistaken supernatural explanations, but the series stays playful and emphasizes teamwork and making things right.
Where to start
Where Should My Child Start?
Where the story begins
First Book in the Series
Sale price
$1697
Book #1 · Chapter Book · Ages 9–12 · 2020
The Great Pet Heist
By Emily Ecton, David Mottram (Illustrator)
Pets plan a daring heist to avoid the pound. Can they succeed?
256 pages· 42,588 words· Est. 4.5 hour read
$17.99Save 6%
Hardcover
Summary: Butterbean, a mischievous wiener dog, and her quirky pet friends face a crisis when their owner, Mrs. Food, has an accident. To avoid the pound, they concoct a bold heist targeting a mysterious man with hidden loot. Oscar the mynah bird leads with brains, Walt the cat brings slyness, and Marco and Polo, the rats, handle reconnaissance. Can this unlikely crew pull off the heist of the century and secure their future? Dive into a world of humor and adventure as these pets embark on a mission that could change everything.
In reading order
The Great Pet Heist Series
5 books · Published 2020–2025
#1
Sale price
$1697
The Great Pet Heist
Chapter Book · Ages 9–12 · 2020
Pets plan a daring heist to avoid the pound. Can they succeed?
#2
Sale price
$1797
The Great Ghost Hoax
Chapter Book · Ages 8–12 · 2021
Pets investigate a ghostly mystery to save their neighbor from scammers.
#3
Sale price
$1697
The Great Vandal Scandal
Chapter Book · Ages 8–12 · 2023
Pets must outsmart raccoons to save their home and clear a friend's name.
#4
Sale price
$1697
The Great Catnapping
Chapter Book · Ages 8–12 · 2024
Pets embark on a daring rescue when two cats are catnapped during a chaotic supermarket event.
#5
Sale price
$1697
The Great Puppypalooza
Chapter Book · Ages 8–12 · 2025
Pets must secretly rehome street puppies before their owner discovers them.
Good to know
Common Questions
How many books are in the Great Pet Heist series?
There are 5 books in the Great Pet Heist series. It began with The Great Pet Heist in 2020, and the newest book, The Great Puppypalooza, was published in 2025.
What order should you read the Great Pet Heist books in?
Start with The Great Pet Heist and follow the series order — the books above are numbered #1 through #5.
What ages are the Great Pet Heist books best for?
The series is best for ages 8–12, based on the age ranges of the individual books.
The people
The Creatives Behind the Books
The people who bring The Great Pet Heist to life.
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