Hound Dog True

Gr 4–6—Linda Urban's honest story (Harcourt, 2011) will resonate with all young girls who feel that they are on the periphery of everything in their world. Mattie and her mother are moving again, this time to her mother's hometown and living with eccentric Uncle Potluck. It's their fifth move, and Mattie wants to make her transition as the new girl in school easier. Uncle Potluck is the janitor at the school where Mattie will be attending fifth grade, and she decides that she will be his custodial apprentice during lunch and recess every day so she won't have to spend time with the other students. That way, it won't matter if she makes friends or not. There will be no awkward moments where she will find herself excluded. She will always have her uncle as backup. Uncle Potluck realizes what his shy and uncertain niece is up to. As the summer progresses, Mattie does make a friend and she begins to realize that she can be a friend. Catherine Taber perfectly voices the fifth grader, showcasing her uncertainty and fragility, and makes all of the other characters unique. An engaging audiobook with a good story.—Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA