Dog Days: The Carver Chronicles, Book One
Third-grader Gavin knows “you have to start over whenever you change schools.” He has made one new friend so far—Richard—but there is still so much his new classmates don’t know yet, like that he is practically a soccer star and really good at his times tables. Gavin’s attempts to fit in are further hampered when he has to spend a week walking his great-aunt Myrtle’s Pomeranian so he can pay back his older sister for the snow globe he and Richard broke. How Gavin survives the week—despite unwanted attention from the school bully, the undignified picking up of poop, bossy girls, a stolen chew toy, and a lack of snacks—makes for a tale of small triumphs. The story is told in the present tense, which gives immediacy to the events; each injustice stings sharper, but so does each triumph feel mightier. Black-and-white spot illustrations break up the text and make this an accessible book for emerging chapter-book readers. While there is some crossover with English’s previous Nikki and Deja series, this story belongs to Gavin. Grades 2-4. --Kara Dean