The Barking Puppy

Lobenstine, Lori and Na. Il Sung (illus.) The Barking Puppy
April 1, 2025 by Levine Querido

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Sophie Canon moves with her mom and Jack Russell terriers, Eleanor Rigby and Ollie Baba, from rural Vermont to Boston. While she misses her friends, there are some good things about the move; they are now near her mother's best friend and her godmother, Lori, and her school is very close. She's not the only Brown kid around, and people aren't too surprised that her mother is white. She makes a friend in high schooler Juno, and the two bond over a love of dogs and a dislike of a neighbor, Lynda, a millennial who is annoyed by the dogs barking. The two help neighbor Rudey with her dog Summit when they can. Juno's own dog, Bonney, is a pug who is having breathing issues. At school, Sophie's fifth grade teacher is having the students work on a newspaper of their own, and Sophie and Juno talk about how much easier it would be to interview dogs rather than people. When Bonney needs expensive surgery, Sophie plans to sell 1,000 copies of the newspaper she and Juno have created, the Barking Puppy, for $3 each. They get help from the principal at school, Lori, who is an editor at the Boston Globe, and even the vet. Luckily, the newspaper proceeds are enough to get Bonney the help she needs, and Sophie is off to her next adventure in the upcoming sequel Dog Circus Block Party. 

Strengths: I'm always a fan of Kids Doing Things, and it was also nice to see Sophie not being upset about the move or finding it hard to make the change. The Jamaica Plain neighborhood is a vibrant one, and the cast of characters is nicely diverse. Sophie is a kindhearted girl who wants to make the world around her a better place, but still has a few problems settling in to her new environment. She feels a little bit like a modern day version of Lowery's Anastasia Krupnik. 
Weaknesses: After reading several books about elementary classes creating newspapers, I need to talk to my friends who teach in fourth or fifth grade and see if this is something that is still done. My students are not at all familiar with the newspaper, so I have my doubts. Since this is set in Boston, I think there are some regional differences. This is based on the author's goddaughter's experiences, but there are some things that wouldn't work where I live. (No one can sell anything at my school, for example.)
What I really think: Readers who like books about dogs like Varner's Dog Trouble or Fairbairn and Assarasakorn's Paws series will enjoy how involved Sophie is with various canine endeavors, and the setting reminded me a bit of Janowitz's All the Ways To Go.