Written by Galia Oz
Dog Trouble is a story about a young girl, Julie, who encounters the typical struggles of growing up, only with the not so typical struggles of owning a puppy. Shashuka, Julie’s new puppy, has only been a part of the family for a couple weeks and is already causing trouble when the puppy mysteriously goes missing. Julie and her friends band together to get to the end of this mystery and find her puppy once and for all. But that isn’t the end of Julie’s dog troubles.
I found this book to be endearing and a little nostalgic. The hardships of growing up can be lightened with the love of a puppy. However, I fear the way the story line teaches kids to deal with bullies was a less educational and beneficial way. The way the character dealt with bullying wasn’t addressed maybe as seriously as it should have been. Any students reading this who may be dealing with bullies in their lives may get the wrong idea that if you tell someone about your bully, then your bully is only going to be worse.
Review by Rachel Lankford, Teacher, Mill Creek Elementary
Rating: ★★½✩✩ (2.5 stars)
Interest Level: Grades 3-6
Dog trouble!
Written by Galia Oz
Crown Books for Young Readers
135 pages
Release Date: May 23, 2017
A review copy was provided by the publisher.
