About This Book:
While on vacation with her family, Avery finds a puppy whom she names Hazel. But where has Hazel come from? And how can Avery earn the little puppy’s trust?
Holly Webb’s bestselling Pet Rescue Adventures series continues with The Frightened Puppy. Avery is excited to be on vacation with her family. They’re staying in a beautiful house right by the river and have a lot of fun activities planned.The only thing that would make the trip even better is if she had a dog to play with. So when she finds a puppy, whom she names Hazel, all alone by the water, Avery knows she has to help her. But where has Hazel come from? And how can Avery earn the little puppy’s trust?
Pet Rescue Adventures is a series of heartwarming animal tales. Each book focuses on one kitten or puppy and their unique journey to find their new “forever home.” A wonderful collection of heartwarming tales, perfect for animal lovers!
*Review Contributed By Karen Yingling, Staff Reviewer*
There’s a puppy at the bottom of the garden
Avery and her family are spending two weeks in a house in the country. At first, she thought this would be boring, but when she sees her room under the thatched roof and realizes that a river is just at the bottom of the garden, she’s thrilled to be there. Her mother and father have lots of sightseeing and activities planned, and she gets to have small indulgences, like potato chips on her sandwiches. Avery would like to have her own dog, but when the family is picnicking on the banks, another family’s pup jumps out of their boat and comes to greet them. As nice as dogs are to have around, they’re a lot of hard work, her mother says. This explains why Avery is reluctant to tell her mother about a small, lost puppy that she has seen hanging around the yard. The puppy is frightened because she was taken away from her mother, put into a box on a truck, and thrown away. Avery sees the dog often, and gives the hungry pooch as much food as she can find. It helps that she talks in a calm and reassuring voice. After her father sees the dog, whom she has named Hazel, in the yard, the two walk to the local veterinarian’s office to inquire if anyone has lost a dog. Avery knows that she should tell her folks about the dog, but can’t bring herself to do it. When the family has another manor house or museum to visit, Avery is worried that she hasn’t seen Hazel and wants to spend the day looking for her. She feigns illness, and her old brother Noah, who is Fifteen, offers to stay with her. Ostensibly reading in the garden, Avery goes off looking for Hazel. Of course, a mist rises, and she twists her ankle, but she does find Hazel. The dog doesn’t understand why her friend won’t get up and go with her, and eventually goes back to the house, barking to alert Avery’s family. There is a brief discussion about what Avery might have been up to with the adorable dog, and the family wisely follows and finds Avery. Once both she and the dog have been checked over, the family decides that Avery is responsible enough to keep Hazel.
While this is a little bit formulaic (it IS book fifty two in the series!), it is still an intriguing read that I would have enjoyed very much when I was in elementary school. It has a virtual vacation to the countryside, a nice secret for Avery to keep, and an adorable dog all wrapped up in a delectable story sandwich, topped by the crunchy potato sprinkles of a slightly scary adventure.
There was some very good character development when Avery knew that she should tell her family about the dog, but just didn’t want to. I liked that the family’s point of view is also shown; they knew something was up but weren’t really paying much attention. The resolution makes everyone happy, and there isn’t any bad feeling on either side, which was a relief.
The publisher’s blurb recommends this to fans of Magical Animal Friends, but I don’t know that I would. That series has so much fantasy that it might not appeal to the same audiences. Certainly Ellen Miles’ The Puppy Place books, Shotz’s American Dog books, or Cameron’s various Puppy Tales would make great read alikes. I’d be careful about the readers to whom you give this; if you don’t want a puppy coming in to your home, this isn’t the title to hand one’s own children!
