Most Valuable Puppy

Gr 1-3–Shawn and Kat are trying to come up with a summer project but can’t agree on an idea. They go to the park and run into their friend Mitchell and his sister, who have a new puppy named Bouncer. Shawn and Kat decide to start a dog day care as their summer project, so they visit the library to research. On the first day, Bouncer causes a lot of trouble in their house. They take him to the park, where he’s very interested in the different games going on, especially soccer. In the end, the kids realize that Bouncer needs a lot of activity to keep him from causing trouble and that he loves kimchi. This is a sweet story of siblings working together and learning something new. The book’s format is that of a beginning reader, but the word usage seems more appropriate for an early chapter book. There are also some sounds, like a dog bark and the grandmother crying out, that are spelled phonetically and may confuse new readers.