; ;

Paloma

A good, solid little beginning chapter book.  It doesn’t sacrifice character development or believability for the sake of simplicity.  The main character is part of a group who volunteers each Saturday at their local pet shelter, and at the beginning of this tale some newly rescued dogs from Puerto Rico have arrived, seeking homes.  Suzannah and her team each get to name one of the new arrivals, and help prepare them for adoption.  As the only member of her squad who doesn’t have her own pet at home, Suzannah is faced with the conflicting feelings of wanting her favorite to find a good home, but also not wanting to give her up.  Meanwhile, at school, her class is planning a pet day as  all her classmates write stories about their pets and plan to bring them to school to show off.  Again feeling like the only one who doesn’t have her own pet (although she comes to learn she’s not alone), Suzannah chooses to share Paloma’s story.  I think the characters in this book and the feelings/problems they face will be things that readers will really relate to.