Tails of Spring Break

May 1, 2005
Gr 3-5 -Everyone in Katie's fourth-grade class, except her, is going away for spring break. Even her best friend, Sierra, is going to Hawaii. What's worse, the class goody-goody, Claire, has to stay with Katie for the week because of a family emergency. After Katie offers to watch Sierra's cat, China, for the vacation, she decides to start her own pet-sitting business. Suddenly she's also taking care of Mrs. Anderson's dog and another neighbor's exotic fish. Looking after pets is not as easy as it seems, though, when China disappears, the pooch eats a plant, and one of the fish dies. But with the help of Claire, who is still coping with the recent death of her mother, Katie manages to have a spring break she won't soon forget. This quick and light story is fun to read. The short chapters keep the narrative moving and the action never lags. The cover art is also appealing enough to hook animal lovers. -"Kristen Oravec, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Strongsville, OH"

Copyright 2005 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2005
Gr. 4-6. Everyone in Katie's fourth-grade class is going somewhere outside of "rainy old Oregon" for spring break; even her despised neighbor, Claire, is off to Wahington, D.C. But Katie and her little brother, Tyler, are staying home with their father, and Katie has come up with an idea for making some money: babysitting pets. Things take a unfortunate turn when Claire's trip is cancelled, and her grandfather's illness forces Claire to stay with Katie's family. Then the first animal boarder, China Cat, who belongs to Katie's best friend, promptly disappears, and tropical fish and an incontinent dog are added to the mix. As this mildly amusing read continues, Katie and Claire, not unexpectedly, discover that they have more in common than their missing moms (Claire's has died, Katie's is a country music star). Sometimes this borders on the preachy, but it's comfortable fare nonetheless.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)