Review Detail

A fabulous glimpse into the sometimes crazy, always fun world of talent shows at school, Marty McGuire Has Too Many Pets was a great introduction to Marty McGuire, who already has a few chapter books out. I appreciated Marty's bravado and incredible love of animals, and as a child reads this he will not only learn a lot about different house pets, but quite a bit about chimpanzees and how to help those who have been rescued from experimentation and the like.

I would have to say my favorite thing about this story was not all the crazy laughs and funny incidents that happen with Marty, but rather the devotion to truth her grandmother had, and how she empowered Marty to embrace it even when it made her look bad, and even when a lie would have been much, much easier. I didn't like that her dad seemed like a silly buffoon at times in this story; I do think stronger father characters are needed in just about every book I read. But I also liked that she felt like she could confide in him. These character-development elements were the thing that made this chapter book stand out to me. If your child loves pets and is at the stage for solid chapters, please, get a hold of this one!