Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Boys are Dogs (audio)

Boys are Dogs by Leslie Margolis. 2008.
Audience: Grades 4th-6th. Ages 8-12.
My Rating: 4*s of 5
Summary: When her mother gets a new boyfriend, sixth-grader Annabelle gets to cope with a new town, a new school, and a new puppy and, while training her puppy, she decides to apply some of the same techniques to tame the unruly boys that are making her middle-school life miserable.
Comments: What can I say, I'm a softy for a cute puppy book! Annabelle is fun to follow as she begins to stand up to the boys who bully her. The mom/new boyfriend subplot is also very well written. As an adult reader, I was at times concerned that she never involved an adult in her problems with boy bullies. But overall it was more satisfying to watch her solve her own (and in turn her friends) conflicts with boys.
Awards: YALSA Amazing Audio list 2010.
Read-alikes: Girls Acting Catty by Margolis

1 comment:

Bonnie said...

Book 2: Girls Acting Catty
Just as good as the first! Tables well turned to show how girls behave badly at times.

Book 3: Everybody Bugs Out
Not up to the standard set by the first two. Deals with first crushes. The animal tie-in is nowhere near as strong as Dogs and Catty. I didn't care about the characters or plot until more than halfway through the book.