What the Dog Said

Gr 5–8—Grace is still reeling from her dad's death. A police officer who worked with troubled youth, he was killed in a drive-by and the shooter has never been caught. Because she has become increasingly withdrawn, Grace is roped into her older sister's plot to train a service dog, and that's when she meets Rex, a shelter dog that talks to her. She's pretty sure she's not crazy, but before long she finds herself taking advice from the mutt, which helps her reconnect with friends and grow closer to her sister. In the dog-training classes, she meets JJ, who admits to the police that he was in the car when Officer Abernathy was killed, but he won't tell who actually fired the shot for fear of his own life. In the end, Grace is able to convince JJ to talk, but one has to wonder about his safety as he has already been threatened by the gang he has fallen in with. Animal lovers will relish the details about training service dogs, readers will follow Grace's determination to have her father's killer brought to justice, and all will find her hard-won healing inspiring.—Laurie Slagenwhite Walters, Peachtree Montessori International, Ann Arbor, MI