One for the Dogs (Start Up Squad Graphic Novels #1)
February 3, 2026 by Philomel Books
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
In this graphic novel, Resa, who appears in the Start Up Squad novels, is excited to visit her Abuela in Brooklyn, especially since she is allowed to bring her friends Harriet, Amelia, and Didi! After a day of sight seeing, Resa is feeling a little jealous of her friends, and when Abuela falls and sprains her ankle, she is alarmed that her friends know how to take care of her grandmother while she freezes. Resa decides to go help at Abuela's store the next day, and after talking to Parker and Nicole, whose grandmothers know Abuela, loans the girls money out of the store's till to start a dog bandana business. She thinks this is what her grandmother would do, and Resa loves to start new businesses. When she meets with Parker and Nicole, however, she isn't happy with the quality of their bandana production, and has a disagreement with them. She does meet them in the park to try to sell the bandanas, and not surprisingly, this doesn't go well. Resa's aunt brings the girls tickets to a Broadway show, and the four set off on the subway to see it. Things go well until Harriet gets off the subway on the way home to try to get a cell phone signal, but Resa had put a plan in place, and the group is soon reunited. Parker and Nicole want help, and the Start Up Squad meets with them to make some more bandanas, which sell. Resa is able to pay her grandmother back, although they have to talk about why it is wrong to borrow money without asking. The group also gets to go to a fashion show before heading home.
Strengths: There seem to be very few tweens with an entrepreneurial spirit, so it's good to see this sort of story written by someone who has been very involved in a variety of businesses. Resa has good business skills, even if she needs some work on her interpersonal ones. Visiting a grandparent always makes for a fun book, and I loved the little tour of New York City the girls got. The business aspect of this made sense, even if it was a bit suspicious that Resa gave two girls she didn't really know money! The business details were good, and the girls worked out their problems. Resa also is able to talk to her grandmother critically about her choices. The illustrations are cute, and I can see this being a big hit in elementary schools.
Weaknesses: This seems to be the fourth tale of the Start Up Squad, since it mentions their work selling t shirts, lemonade, and planning a wedding, but is the first graphic novel. I bought the first two novels, but they haven't circulated as much as I would like, perhaps because the girls seem younger. I don't remember Resa being so anxious or having troubles getting along with people.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who like the Cupcake Diaries graphic novels or Vargas and Yovaniniz's The Do-Over .
Weaknesses: This seems to be the fourth tale of the Start Up Squad, since it mentions their work selling t shirts, lemonade, and planning a wedding, but is the first graphic novel. I bought the first two novels, but they haven't circulated as much as I would like, perhaps because the girls seem younger. I don't remember Resa being so anxious or having troubles getting along with people.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who like the Cupcake Diaries graphic novels or Vargas and Yovaniniz's The Do-Over .
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