Puppy Love: 08/17/17

Puppy Love by Jennifer L. Holm is the eighth book in the Babymouse series. Babymouse desperately wants a puppy but her parents, well aware of her lack of attention to projects, tell her she has to prove herself responsible enough of a pet owner.

In later books, especially, Babymouse really is the cause of her own defeat. She is often portrayed as lazy, winey, and eager for things to magically go in her favor. Here, though, she is genuinely making an effort. But she still has problems.

Anyone who has had one of those "starter pets" knows, they are either short lived or are superb Houdini style escape artists. As a child I had fish and hamsters along with the family pets: a dog and a pair of cats. The fish, which we bought in bulk, often had a few who went belly up each month. I really don't know how often we had to replace fish until we hit on a stable population. The hamsters were constantly getting out of their cages. Invariably they'd end up under or behind an appliance; the dishwasher was a favorite hiding spot.

Babymouse's pets, though, prefer under her bed. And they take things to hilarious extremes. With each pet that escapes, including a fish in its bowl, the party under the bed grows.

Four stars

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