  | No dogs allowed (Ready, set, dogs!) Author: Calmenson, Stephanie | |
| Price: $19.58 | ||
Summary:
Best friends and dog lovers Kate and Lucie live in apartments where dogs are not allowed, but a pair of unusual necklaces they find in a thrift store allow them to become dogs whenever they wish.
| Added Entry - Personal Name: | Cole, Joanna |
| Illustrator: | Ross, Heather |
| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: LG Reading Level: 3.30 Points: 1.0 Quiz: 162851 | Reading Counts Information: Interest Level: 3-5 Reading Level: 2.50 Points: 5.0 Quiz: 63226 | |
Reviews:
School Library Journal (02/01/14)
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (A) (02/14)
Full Text Reviews:
Bulletin for the Center... - 02/01/2014 Lucie and Kate are best friends, next-door neighbors, and dog lovers, but neither of their mothers will allow them to have a pet, so they focus on supporting the local shelter via a songwriting contest. When they acquire identical thrift-store necklaces with pink, bone-shaped pendants, they discover that the jewelry can magically turn them into dogs. Entertained by their newfound transformational abilities, Kate and Lucie alternate between doggy pursuits, such as eating new foods and teasing a pair of annoying neighborhood boys, and working on their song as human girls. The light tone, playful premise, and canine connection will appeal to many youngsters, and the clear writing, quick pace, and large font will all help support chapter-book newbies. The characters are pretty two-dimensional, however, and the plot is utterly predictable—not only do the girls win the songwriting contest but they do so after teaming up with the annoying boys. Ross’s frequent black and white illustrations, featuring a multicultural cast, are lighthearted and comic; the dog versions of Kate and Lucie even goofily resemble their human counterparts. Despite its shortcomings, this will appeal to pet lovers, especially those looking for a breezy chapter book. JH - Copyright 2014 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.
School Library Journal - 02/01/2014 Gr 2–5—Dog-loving best friends Katie and Lucie live next door to one another in an apartment building with an unfortunate rule: NO DOGS ALLOWED. On a trip to the neighborhood thrift shop, the girls try on matching pink dog bone-shaped necklaces and discover that the jewelry holds the power to turn its wearers into dogs. Fortunately, they quickly figure out how to turn back into girls, and they have fun shape-shifting at will for the remainder of the story. Lucie and Katie join forces with two boys to write the winning submission for a local radio contest promoting Adopt-a-Dog Week. Back matter includes dog jokes, true stories about heroic dogs, and the authors' real-life dog ownership tales. Occasional black-and-white drawings highlight key characters and scenes, such as a humorous scene of the girls, in dog form, digging holes in a garden as their mothers look on with shocked expressions. This fun, quick read will have young dog lovers sitting up and begging for the next book in the series.—Amanda Struckmeyer, Middleton Public Library, Madison, WI - Copyright 2014 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
