Rules of the Ruff

May 1, 2018

Gr 4-6-Twelve-year-old Jessie pesters her way into an apprenticeship with a curmudgeonly dog walker during a summer with her suburban Ohioan family. Her cousin's mean-girl friend and an intriguing boy and his mom (who tries to co-opt clients for her own dog walking service) create additional challenges to merely mastering dog-walking skills. Written in scene-based chapters of uniform lengths and featuring a small cast with distinctive personalities and voices, Jessie's story is a light, predictable read. Jessie loves soccer and Die Hard movies and eschews dresses and romantic comedies. Dogs abound within these pages, but mostly as objects that further the plot as opposed to animals with whom the protagonist develops close relationships. VERDICT Give this to dog lovers or readers seeking a light and breezy summer read.-Rhona Campbell, Georgetown Day School, Washington, DC

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2018
Spending the summer with her bad-tempered aunt and her family is proving to be a trial for 12-year-old Jessie now that her slightly older cousin, Ann, has an unpleasantly self-centered new friend, Loralee.Lonely Jessie decides to become the assistant of a misanthropic dog walker, Wes. Wes doesn't care much for people, but he's gifted with dogs. His relationship with Jessie is cranky at best, but the dog walking becomes the highlight of her summer. Ann ignores her, and to make matters worse, a talented (and cute) soccer player, Max, whom she befriends, falls for manipulative Loralee--who savors mocking Jessie. When Max's mother, a novice dog walker, takes most of Wes' business away, he and Jessie begin playing dirty tricks in order to undermine her success. Jessie takes on the burden of guilt--and then all of the blame--for these malicious acts, failing to see (with, remarkably, no other grown-up guidance) that Wes is hardly acting like an adult. Jessie's caught between her concern for lonely Wes and an overarching desire to do what's best for the animals. All the while, she seems to work hard to avoid the maturity that ultimately overtakes her in a feel-good ending that pushes credibility. Other than Jessie, most characters are only superficially developed. Max is described as having brown skin, but the book otherwise subscribes to the white default.A thoughtful and fast-paced story that should appeal to dog lovers. (Fiction. 10-13)

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July 1, 2018
Grades 4-7 Spending another summer at her aunt and uncle's isn't what 12-year-old Jessie wants, but she's stuck with them. Ann, her slightly older cousin, treats Jessie like she's intruding on Ann's new friendship with Loralee?and that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to complicated relationships. Jessie crushes on new-kid Max, who loves challenging her to games of soccer; fickle Loralee doesn't like Jessie and snags Max for a boyfriend; and poor Jessie feels left out all around. Her salvation is meeting Wes, the grouchy dog-walker, and convincing him to take her on as an apprentice. Despite his gruff personality, Jessie remains undeterred and learns much about dogs and people. As she matures emotionally during the summer, she gains confidence in herself and in her understanding of others. Lang's approach to sharing this tale of friendship and family leads readers to understand how much dogs can teach humans about their own relationships. Dog-lovers will laugh, cry, and cheer for Jessie, Wes, and their pack of pups in this fun read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2019
Twelve-year-old Jessie avoids a lonely summer with her relatives by apprenticing with a cantankerous professional dog walker. When a charming novice steals business away from her mentor, Jessie plans retaliation. Lang uses descriptive language to form a multilayered story that not only highlights the responsibilities of pet ownership but also the complexities of growing up, first crushes, and revenge.

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)