by Polly Farquhar (Author)
"Not since Ramona Quimby has a character marched right out of a book with so much bravado, humor, and heart."--Barbara O'Connor, New York Times bestselling author of Wish
A headstrong girl's quest to steal back her family's dog goes awry in this humorous and compassionate novel.
Lolo is stuck in summer school with a teacher who is out to get her while her family is still reeling from her grandfather's death. Even his dog is mourning, howling outside all night and every night. Finally, lovable old Hank is sent to a farm across the lake that takes foster dogs.
And it's all Lolo's fault.
Lolo knows she has to get Hank back. In a tippy canoe, Lolo crosses the almost-dried-out lake to steal her dog back. But she runs into Noah, a student in her summer school class and Hank's new owner--and he loves Hank as much as she does.
As Lolo's plan unravels and her uneasy alliance with Noah grows into a friendship, the question of what's best for Hank becomes muddier. Can Lolo manage to do the right thing--for once?
Itch author Polly Farquhar returns to Ohio with a tale of a big-hearted girl searching for answers to tough questions in all the wrong places. Fans of Gary Schmidt will love Farquhar's blend of honesty, humor, and heart.
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
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During a hot summer in which the local lake has been drained for dam repair, keeping needed tourists away, nearly 12-year-old Lolo Weaver is stuck in summer school after failing a state test. Not only does it not feel like summer vacation, Lolo quickly gets on the wrong side of stickler teacher Mrs. Cryer. But much worse is Lolo's profound sadness following the recent death of her beloved grandfather and the subsequent rehoming of Hank, a foster dog with whom Lolo identifies (they're "mostly normal, except when we weren't, and when we weren't it was a big problem," Lolo says). When her pregnant mother is hospitalized with preeclampsia and Lolo is sent to stay with her grieving grandmother, the tween becomes convinced that returning Hank would offer emotional support to Gram. Discovering that Hank is now being fostered by Noah Pham, a summer school classmate whose journal entries are part of the story, Lolo persuades Noah to give up Hank. As the pair work to get the dog across the drained lake and back to Lolo's grandmother, a series of events transform Lolo's assumptions--about herself, Hank, and her grandma--and help her begin to heal. Quick-resolving plot threads make the ending feel slightly rushed, but an aptly rendered ghost-town vibe from Farquhar (Itch), coupled with Lolo's frustrations, contribute to a feeling of summer languor, and Lolo's realizations are organic and moving. Lolo presents as white; context cues suggest racial diversity in the community. Ages 8-12. Agent: Alyssa Eisner Henkin, Birch Path Literary. (Apr.)
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