An appealing, doggedly upbeat tale.
In this first of a new series—a spinoff from Butler’s popular Kayla and King books—a young girl’s summer is suddenly filled with dogs.
When her grandmother falls ill, 9-year-old Hazel and her mother travel from their home in Chicago to Minnesota. Grandma runs a doggy daycare out of her barn, and Hazel and Mom are here to step in while she recovers. Grandma prefers dogs to people, and she’s less than thrilled at their arrival (“Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days,” as she puts it). Still, she begrudgingly accepts their assistance, and everyone pitches in—including Mom’s longtime friend Mallory and her children, 11-year-old KC (who uses they/them pronouns) and 7-year-old Jonah. Butler balances doggy antics with gently presented moments of emotional awareness. When Hazel struggles under the weight of keeping a secret from her mother, Jonah points out that “tattling isn’t always bad.” And when Jonah inadvertently shares the secret with his mother, Hazel astutely observes, “Sometimes it’s hard to know what to do when you have a secret.” Authentic depictions of friendship and family dynamics and realistic opportunities for responsibilities and problem-solving are smoothly and entertainingly combined here. Hazel and her family appear white in Kote’s cheerful, clear cartoon illustrations; the visuals add to the charm and hint at some diversity among the other humans.
An appealing, doggedly upbeat tale. (Fiction. 8-11)Pub Date: yesterday
ISBN: 9781682637234
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: Dec. 26, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2026
Certain to elicit both gales of giggles and winces of sympathy (not to mention recognition) from young readers.
First volume of a planned three, this edited version of an ongoing online serial records a middle-school everykid’s triumphs and (more often) tribulations through the course of a school year.
Largely through his own fault, mishaps seem to plague Greg at every turn, from the minor freak-outs of finding himself permanently seated in class between two pierced stoners and then being saddled with his mom for a substitute teacher, to being forced to wrestle in gym with a weird classmate who has invited him to view his “secret freckle.” Presented in a mix of legible “hand-lettered” text and lots of simple cartoon illustrations with the punch lines often in dialogue balloons, Greg’s escapades, unwavering self-interest and sardonic commentary are a hoot and a half.
Certain to elicit both gales of giggles and winces of sympathy (not to mention recognition) from young readers. (Fiction. 9-11)Pub Date: April 1, 2007
ISBN: 0-8109-9313-9
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2007
SEEN & HEARD
PERSPECTIVES
A dramatic, educational, authentic whale of a tale.
After a tsunami devastates their habitat in the Salish Sea, a young orca and her brother embark on a remarkable adventure.
Vega’s matriarchal family expects her to become a hunter and wayfinder, with her younger brother, Deneb, protecting and supporting her. Invited to guide her family to their Gathering Place to hunt salmon, Vega’s underwater miscalculations endanger them all, and an embarrassed Vega questions whether she should be a wayfinder. When the baby sister she hoped would become her life companion is stillborn, a distraught Vega carries the baby away to a special resting place, shocking her grieving family. Dispatched to find his missing sister, Deneb locates Vega in the midst of a terrible tsunami. To escape the waters polluted by shattered boats, Vega leads Deneb into unfamiliar open sea. Alone and hungry, the young siblings encounter a spectacular giant whale and travel briefly with shark-hunting orcas. Trusting her instincts and gaining emotional strength from contemplating the vastness of the sky, Vega knows she must lead her brother home and help save her surviving family. In alternating first-person voices, Vega and Deneb tell their harrowing story, engaging young readers while educating them about the marine ecosystem. Realistic black-and-white illustrations enhance the maritime setting.
A dramatic, educational, authentic whale of a tale. (maps, wildlife facts, tribes of the Salish Sea watershed, environmental and geographical information, how to help orcas, author’s note, artist’s note, resources) (Animal fiction. 8-10)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-299592-6
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: June 30, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2020
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