Four sixth graders, two adults, and six—or is it seven?—dogs are the focus of this waggish tale set in a Brooklyn neighborhood. Mei (Asian/Black), who lives with Panda (“corgi-adjacent”) and Paddington (Border collie), wonders if her friends find her too bold and bossy, especially after an interaction with Kaleb (white) at a rehearsal for the school play. Kaleb, whose family recently acquired big, energetic puppy Cup-Cup, is not only feeling bad about what happened with Mei, but struggling since falling out with his former best friend, Ezra. Ezra (white, Jewish) is a worrier who can’t stop the “What if” scenarios in his head. His dog Cash (Chow Chow) is a comfort, although Ezra worries about Cash too: What if he gets out of their yard? Jilly (white), new to the neighborhood, is living with her aunt Valeria while her mom is in rehab. Valeria is the owner of finicky terriers Lottie and Grover, dogs used to occupying the center of Valeria’s attention. Ruth fosters many dogs but doesn’t have a pet of her own. Her newest foster, Thunder, however, has her reconsidering. Deftly balancing the perspective of humans dealing with big issues—anxiety, uncertainty, change, and/or the challenges and rewards of friendship—with entertaining and sometimes hilarious dog thoughts, this delightful story is filled with warmth and many good dogs.

For anyone who loves a dog--and anyone who loves a laugh, comes this sensitive (and silly!) story about growing up and mending fences. An enduring message of friends, community, and the joy of pets.

Ask anyone who has a dog and they’ll tell you that their dog is the best. Really, truly, the best dog in the world. Theirs is the best dog that ever lived, ever, ever, in the history of the known universe.

Welcome to the dog park! It’s a playground for dogs in the big city. Here, four sixth graders (and their dogs!) overlap on one hilarious and important June weekend.
Ezra needs to find his lost dog.
Cup-Cup needs a friend. (She also needs to learn to walk on a leash.)
Mei-Alice wonders if anyone will ever understand her.
Panda wonders what will happen if she breaks the rules.
Kaleb is covering up a terrible mistake.
Grover and Lottie are making lots of terrible mistakes. (Some of them are disgusting.)
And Jilly needs to make a new life in a new place.
On this almost-summer weekend, a series of surprises, mishaps, and misunderstandings will end up changing all of their lives.