The Barking Puppy Book Review | New Book by Lori Lobenstine
When I read the title of this book, I was immediately intrigued. A barking puppy? Well that makes sense. All puppies bark. That’s why they go through puppy training. But then I read the description and knew I needed to read this book. I’m a total dog lover and so reading the story about another dog lover sounded awesome. So today I’m going to be sharing my The Barking Puppy book review with you.
I also have to give a shout out to the cover. It’s so cute, isn’t it?
What is The Barking Puppy by Lori Lobenstine about?
When Sophie and her two Jack Russell terriers move to Boston, she’s excited not to be the only brown kid in the neighborhood anymore. She instantly likes the quirky teenager named Juno next door and her pug, Bonney. But not everything’s easy. Her classmates make fun of her Vermont overalls. The upstairs neighbor hates barking. And Bonney needs surgery that Juno’s family can’t afford.
So Sophie and Juno invent the Barking Puppy, the first ever newspaper written “by dogs” and “for dogs.” Will anyone else get how funny it is? And more importantly, can they sell it to raise enough money in time to save Bonney? Will the landlord kick Sophie and her mom out before they even get started?
Don’t miss this first edition of a doggone great series and find out for yourself! (from Amazon.com)
Why I Wanted to Read This Book
It can’t be easy to move to a new place in the middle of the school year. Learning to live in a new city, while trying to fit in at a new school is a lot! But everything is better with a dog. In hard times, they can be a great source of comfort and support. So I was very interested to read this book and learn more about Sophie and her two Jack Russell terriers.
This Book is a Dog Lover’s Dream
If you’re a kid (or adult) who loves dogs, you will love this book. As Sophie explores her new home and neighborhood, she meets so many amazing people and their dogs. Sophie is very excited to have a dog park nearby where she can take her jack russell terriers to burn some energy. She even meets one of her classmates and his mom at the dog park! It just goes to show that more people have dogs than she originally thought.
Sophie is a Very Respectful and Responsible Pet Owner
Sophie is a great main character because she takes caring for her dogs very seriously. She loves to take them on walks and make sure they are fed and comfortable. The only problem is that sometimes they bark during the day which upsets the upstairs neighbor. That’s completely understandable because sometimes when a barking dog is very persistent, it can be grating on the ears.
Sophie takes the complaints of the upstairs neighbor very seriously. She brainstorms with her Mom about different ways they can help each reactive dog to be more comfortable at home during the day. I think this kind of brainstorming and problem solving will be very inspiring to young readers.
The Barking Puppy
The title of this book comes from the newspaper that Sophie and her next door neighbor Juno start. Juno is going through a difficult time because her pug Bonney is having breathing issues. Her family doesn’t have the thousands of dollars that an elective surgery could cost. The girls decide to create The Barking Puppy and sell issues to their neighbors and community. They hope this will raise enough money to pay for Bonney’s surgery.
When I was a kid I loved writing and drawing, so I thought this was a very cool element to the story. The illustrations (by Il Sung Na) in this book are so cute and they made me smile. I loved all of the different ideas they came up with. They almost had too many ideas, which means there will most definitely be more issues of The Barking Puppy. Hopefully!
Boston is a Great New Environment for Sophie
Something that Sophie notices right away about her new community is that she is no longer the only brown kid. Her new community in Boston proves to be very diverse which is great for her! She even meets her classmate at the dog park and is surprised by the fact that he has a white mom, just like her! Representation is important and can have such a positive impact on young readers. I think the author did a great job with this story.
In Conclusion
Thank you so much for checking out my The Barking Puppy book review. I really enjoyed this new book by Lori Lobenstine. I loved reading Sophie’s story and seeing what kind of puppy adventures she got on with her dogs and her new friends in the neighborhood. I liked that this book gave practical advice for dog owners and I think young readers will really enjoy this story. I know I did, and I’m an adult!
