Description Buddy does not know what is in the box that Meredith carries into the living room. But when the small, prickly creature says he is a pirate - and that Buddy is a pirate too - the two mismatched friends are off on a grand adventure. In this first book in the Buddy and Earl series, a dog who likes to play by the rules meets a hedgehog who knows no limits. Their friendship is tender and loyal, and their adventures are funny and imaginative.