March 3, 2026 by Balzer + Bray
ARC provided by Young Adult Books Central
Finnegan is a dog who has run away from his home with Samuel after a misunderstanding, and he finds himself out in the wilderness in a world of trouble when he is attacked by another animal. Luckily, he is rescued by Ryan, who takes him to the vet and then adopts him. Chase is a cheetah cub born in a zoo to a mother who was rescued from the wild. Unfortunately, when her mother is taken for a veterinary procedure, she passes away. Chase must be fed and trained by Basma, one of the zoo workers. Finnegan is very scared of storms and causes some trouble at home. Ryan lives with Basma, who thinks that Finnegan and Chase could help each other out. They do a lot of training so that Chase can perform in a zoo presentation meant to draw attention to the plight of animals in the wild, but also comfort each other. Chase misses her mother and is leery of leashes, since her mother was taken away wearing one and never came back, and Finnegan is worried that Ryan and Basma will discover the secrets in his past and not want him to live with them anymore. The friendship that helps out both animals is based on a real life program at the Cincinnati Zoo.
The Vivienne To cover will make this book immediately appealing to younger readers who like animal stories or who frequent the zoo; who doesn't harbor a secret wish to cuddle with a tiny cheetah? I loved that Finnegan was a rescue dog with a hidden past; so many bad things can happen to dogs, and they can't tell their new homes about them! At least Finnegan can confide in Chase when his humans don't quite understand why he is so upset when they are packing up to move to a new home.
There are just enough things going on with the humans in the book to add another level of interest. At one point, Ryan wants to ask Basma to marry him, and is quite nervous about proposing. The workings of the zoo are also quite interesting; I haven't been to the Cincinnati zoo in a long time, but was always impressed with the work they do.
Warga has quite a range of topics in her list of middle grade works; an immigrant tale in Other Words for Home (2019), a problem novel in The Shape of Tunder (2021), the sci Fi A Rover's Story (2022), a fantasy with some community issues A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall (2024), and even a horror book in the second of the The Last Resort series, The Claiming (2026). This animal tale will be popular with readers who liked the unlikely friendships and animal perspectives in Applegate's The One and Only Bob, Bruce Cameron's Dogs with a Purpose tales, Robertshaw and Danka's Life in the Doghouse books.
March 3, 2026 by Dial Books
E ARC provided by Netgalley
Harper and her mother Beth move suddenly from Knoxville, Tennessee to Sommer Springs after Harper's father has an affair with the mother of Harper's best friend Cat, who lives across the street. Unwilling to put up with the gossip, Beth finds another nursing job and a very small house to rent where their Great Pyrenees dog, Harvey, is welcome. The rural community is very different; on the way into town, Harper sees dead chickens strung up on a clothesline, and the home they are renting is right next to a horse stable. This is run by Miss Chelsea, whose wife is a doctor. Several children from Harper's 6th grade class ride at the stables, and she meets Dante, Night (who uses they/them pronouns), and Emma. Harper is very angry about the reasons for moving, and has fallen out with Cat, so feels very isolated. She spends a lot of time watching the others ride, and talks to them briefly on the bus. Dante knows that Harper isn't talking because she is sad, and doesn't push her. When a "kill truck" shows up at the stables when everyone is done, Harper ends up with a very sick horse given to her! She and her mother do an internet search for how to properly care for the ailing animal, and end up feeding it tiny bits of hay around the clock. Miss Chelsea agrees to help with the horse, although she wants to buy it from Harper, who refuses to sell it. Harper equates the horses experience of being "thrown away" with her own father's dismissal of her. There is a lot of concern about the cost of owning a horse, which is considerable, but Harper is adamant that she be allowed to keep the horse, whom she names Phoenix, although her mother inquires about perhaps turning the animal over to a horse rescue. Harper ends up working at the stable in the morning to help pay for Phoenix's upkeep. When she returns from a tense weekend at her father's, she sees a woman, Ms. Rawlings, who is attempting to feed Phoenix and has called the police about what she considers an abused animal. There is a tense standoff, complete with nasty microaggressions where Ms. Rawlings assumes Dante is a stable groom because he is Latine. Carine Rawlings and her horse start participating in the lessons and practices, but it takes a while for her to fit in. Phoenix continues to improve, although the path is rocky. This is the first book in a purported series.
E ARC provided by Netgalley
Harper and her mother Beth move suddenly from Knoxville, Tennessee to Sommer Springs after Harper's father has an affair with the mother of Harper's best friend Cat, who lives across the street. Unwilling to put up with the gossip, Beth finds another nursing job and a very small house to rent where their Great Pyrenees dog, Harvey, is welcome. The rural community is very different; on the way into town, Harper sees dead chickens strung up on a clothesline, and the home they are renting is right next to a horse stable. This is run by Miss Chelsea, whose wife is a doctor. Several children from Harper's 6th grade class ride at the stables, and she meets Dante, Night (who uses they/them pronouns), and Emma. Harper is very angry about the reasons for moving, and has fallen out with Cat, so feels very isolated. She spends a lot of time watching the others ride, and talks to them briefly on the bus. Dante knows that Harper isn't talking because she is sad, and doesn't push her. When a "kill truck" shows up at the stables when everyone is done, Harper ends up with a very sick horse given to her! She and her mother do an internet search for how to properly care for the ailing animal, and end up feeding it tiny bits of hay around the clock. Miss Chelsea agrees to help with the horse, although she wants to buy it from Harper, who refuses to sell it. Harper equates the horses experience of being "thrown away" with her own father's dismissal of her. There is a lot of concern about the cost of owning a horse, which is considerable, but Harper is adamant that she be allowed to keep the horse, whom she names Phoenix, although her mother inquires about perhaps turning the animal over to a horse rescue. Harper ends up working at the stable in the morning to help pay for Phoenix's upkeep. When she returns from a tense weekend at her father's, she sees a woman, Ms. Rawlings, who is attempting to feed Phoenix and has called the police about what she considers an abused animal. There is a tense standoff, complete with nasty microaggressions where Ms. Rawlings assumes Dante is a stable groom because he is Latine. Carine Rawlings and her horse start participating in the lessons and practices, but it takes a while for her to fit in. Phoenix continues to improve, although the path is rocky. This is the first book in a purported series.
I'm always looking for books for readers who would love to own their own horses, but I'm debating this one. While there are good details about caring for an ailing horse, as well as about riding and stable life, there is a lot of discussion about the father's affair, even though Bradley is so circumspect in her treatment of the topic that younger readers won't even understand that an affair occurred. Harper is 11, and there is talk about her attending therapy, but she doesn't manage to get to a therapist even though she is having a very difficult time. Readers who like horses will have to make it far enough into the book, and they may not, since Harper is afraid of horses at the beginning, and doesn't really want anything to do with the stables.
The fact that this starts with the description of the dead chickens and Harper's reaction to them doesn't do this book any favors. I usually enjoy Bradley's books, but this was far more like Fighting Words than her popular historical titles like The War That Saved My Life.
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