Secondhand Dogs by Carolyn Crimi, illustrations by Melissa Manwill

Secondhand Dogs by Carolyn Crimi, illustrations by Melissa Manwill

Format:  ARC paperback

Publisher:  Balzer & Bray   

Number of pages:  256  

Publishing:  July 6th, 2021

Source:  Barbara Fisch via BlueSlip Media    

Opening Lines:  "Gus lifted his head and sniffed the chilly November air."

Gus is the pack leader of Miss Lottie's motley rescue dog's, which include Roo the hunting dog, Tank the bulldog and Moon Pie the one year old pug.  Ghost is the independent cat who makes a sometimes home with Miss Lottie, and Quinn is the eleven year old boy from next door who helps Miss Lottie with her dogs to escape the teasing and bullying of his older brothers friends.  Whenever a new dog is introduced to the pack, as the leader Gus makes the call whether or not to accept them, and today Miss Lottie is introducing Decker, a Doberman mix to the rest of the pack.  At first, Gus has his doubts about Decker, who seems rude and uncaring, plus it seems like he's trying to challenge Gus in front of the rest of the pack.  Yet, Gus also believes in second chances and thinks with a little more time, Decker might adjust to the other dogs and begin to fit in.  However it isn't long before Decker begins to show his true colors, enacting a plan to oust the other dogs and have Miss Lottie all to himself, beginning with taking over the coveted spot on Miss Lottie's bed from Moon Pie.  Decker even goes so far as to instigate strife between Miss Lottie and the other dogs by injuring his own paw to frame Tank.  Believing Tank is to blame, Miss Lottie separates him from the rest of the dogs.  But Decker's most aggrieves act is convincing Moon Pie that his owner Gertie has been looking for him and he should runaway to find her, when she actually passed away several weeks ago and the other dogs haven't had the heart to share the news with him yet.  When Moon Pie actually does runaway, the other dogs decide to try and find him before the coyote spotted roaming the neighborhood does.        

Carolyn Crimi wrote one of my favorite picture books, Boris and Bella, a Halloween book with a classic movie monster feel.  Her latest book, Secondhand Dogs is equally delightful, highlighting the importance of adopting pets from a rescue shelter.  That  for whatever reason an owner gives up their pet, these pets should be given a second chance at a caring loving home.      

Gus makes a wonderful leader, he genuinely cares about the pack and is sympathetic to all of their needs.  By initially accepting Decker into the pack, he tries to be flexible and give him time to adjust, despite feeling like he's taking a huge risk.  While Gus might lack some confidence in being the pack leader, he always seems to put the pack first.  Moon Pie is the sweet little trusting puppy.  The kind of dog who will look up at you with his head tilted to the side while begging for a snack.   I believe this is what I so love about Crimi's stories, her characters.  Each of the dogs in the story exemplifies the temperament and personality style of the breed.   From the overly excited Roo,  to the guardian, protective, stocky nature of Tank.  If you've ever owned one of these breeds, you'll notice those personality traits as you read.  Decker's story will defiantly pull at your heart strings.  He obviously was mistreated by a previous owner, but his bullying of Moon Pie, pushing him out of Miss Lottie's bed was quite sad.  Poor little Moon Pie.  Then when Decker deceives him into searching for Gertie, you worry for this little pup away from home.  Despite Decker initially coming off as harsh, uncaring, maybe a little evil, and intent on having his own way, he'll start to grow on you as more of his backstory is revealed.  My favorite moment in the story was when Ghost jumped on Miss Lotties's lap to comfort her when Moon Pie went missing.  Such a lovely illustrated book that will appeal to all types of dog lovers.   ** A huge thank you to Barbara Fisch at BlueSlip Media for the ARC paperback.**  

About Carolyn:  

Carolyn Crimi received her MFA in Writing for Children from Vermont College in 2000. She has published over 15 books, including Dear Tabby, Don’t Need Friends, Boris and Bella, Henry and the Buccaneer Bunnies, Where’s My Mummy?, and I Am the Boss of this Chair. Her book There Might Be Lobsters won The Golden Kite Award in 2018 for Best Picture Book Text, and her middle grade debut, Weird Little Robots, was named a BEA Book Buzz pick. Carolyn has received over thirty state awards and award nominations and was given The Prairie State Award in 2012 for her body of work. You can visit Carolyn at carolyncrimi.com.  Facebook: Carolyn Crimi  Twitter: @crims10

Praise for Secondhand Dogs:

“A sensitive, satisfying, and intriguing canine tale.”   —Kirkus Reviews