Opening and reading this book is a bit like opening a surprise package–something I had not expected, but what a nice surprise.  Homer Pudding, age 12, is a misfit in his family.  His father is a goat farmer who has prize-winning dogs, his mother is a prize-winning baker, and his sister is a self-absorbed teenager.  Homer hates going to the annual fair and his family loves it.  He would much rather spend his time poring over maps and daydream about treasure hunting.  His dog, Dog, is a basset hound and his best companion but is pretty useless as far as dogs go.  He does have a talent, however, for smelling  treasure.  Homer acquired Dog upon his Uncle Drake’s death, along with his uncle’s seat on the L.O.S.T. Society.  This Society stands for Legends, Objects, Secrets, and Treasures, and their goals are to hunt for treasure, not for personal gain but for the satisfaction of the hunt, and turn the artifacts and any treasure over to the appropriate museum for the public to view and enjoy.  Homer receives a letter asking him to attend the next Society meeting and off he goes.  The people he encounters are very unusual and bizarre, to say the least.  Zelda, a giantess, who flies a ‘cloudcopter,’ Hercules, a boy of similar age who is afraid of his own shadow but belongs to a family of extroverts, and Lorelei, an also same-aged orphan competing with Homer for his seat on the Society.  Together, the three youngsters set off on an adventure that includes skydiving, spelunking, escaping a grizzly bear, and form a steadfast friendship. When Homer returns home, his family hasn’t even realized he’d been gone, as they’d been so involved in the fair.  Book three of this series is out, and all three books would be an excellent addition to any elementary school library.