Super Pug (Diary of a Pug, #13)

SUPER PUG is a charming new installment in the DIARY OF A PUG series. In this book, Bub has been selected to play a superhero in a commercial, where he will help teach fire safety. However, the movie magic isn't quite what he expected. Later, he gets to be a real superhero and help save Bella when he detects a fire in the kitchen. At the end, he helps to teach fire safety to Bella's class.

What I loved: This is a really engaging and fast-paced book. With the diary style, the reader gets insight into Bub's feelings and experiences that help to pull them into the story. Bub is a very compelling character who wants to do his best, even when he is challenged. A particular favorite character is Nutz, the squirrel who taunts him and decides to be a supervillain. There are some very funny scenes with Nutz - even though Bub eventually learns to not let him get in the way of what he needs/wants to do to be a superhero. The addition of fire safety information is also fantastic as a learning point and takeaway from the book.

The Branches element of the book makes this a perfect pick for early readers. Every page features large, full color illustrations to bring the story to life. Select text is used for speech bubbles and sentences to frame the story, helping to provide context and make this an easy pick for young readers. The font throughout is large and easy to read. This all adds up to a fantastic choice for early independent readers. Backmatter includes reading comprehension questions to help spark discussion that adds to the experience.

Final verdict: SUPER PUG is a charming and engaging new early chapter book that is great for budding independent readers with compelling characters, fast-paced plot, and fun illustrations.