When the Going Gets Ruff

March 1, 2016

Gr 3-6-This new series begins with simultaneous releases of the first two books featuring best friends and dog enthusiasts Kim, Sasha, and Taylor. Mission Impawsible is presented from "dog whisperer" Kim's point of view. The seventh-grade girls are assigned volunteer work after school a few days each week and find a perfect opportunity in a failing dog shelter. With some creativity, dedication, and very hard work, Kim learns she has the ability to engender real change as she and her friends establish the Roxbury Park Dog Club to save the shelter. When the Going Gets Ruff is presented from Sasha's point of view. Sasha is determined to prove to her mother that she is responsible enough to have her very own pet, but everything she tries goes wrong. When Sasha briefly loses a dog from the Dog Club, she is certain she's done for. Ultimately, however, she learns the true meaning of responsibility-with a little help from her friends-and might just find her perfect furry companion. While well paced and engaging, these series starters are unfortunately unremarkable. The Dog Club's problems are slight, and conflicts resolve easily. Reminiscent of Ann M. Martin's "The Baby-Sitters Club" series (Scholastic) but with less substance, these titles don't offer anything new to the pet-fiction genre. However, if readers are hungry for more friendship and doggy reads, this series might be worth the venture. VERDICT Strictly an additional purchase; recommend for those libraries with readers clamoring for more quick, dog-themed reads.-Taylor Worley, Springfield Public Library, OR

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