Hi Blisses,
TITLE: All Pets Allowed
BY:
ILLUSTRATION: Le Uyen Pham
SERIES: Blackberry Farm #2
GENRE: Childrens, Middle-Grade
PUBLICATION: August 31st 2021 by Algonquin Young Readers
NOTES: I received an e-ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for promotion and honest review.
BLURB
New dog, no tricks!
Becket Branch has one birthday wish—a dog! Dogs are outgoing and friendly, and they live life loud, just like Becket. Becket’s twin, Nicholas, wants a pet more like him—a peaceful, quiet indoor cat. When their parents take them to the shelter to choose a dog and a cat, it should be Becket’s biggest BEAUTIFUL ALERT ever. But Becket’s dream dog, Dibs, turns out to be a super-shy scaredy-pooch. Meanwhile, Nicholas’s kitty, Given, loves being the center of attention and greeting visitors to Blackberry Farm.
Can Becket and Nicholas learn how to love Dibs and Given as they are—even if they aren’t exactly the pets the twins dreamed of?
With black-and-white drawings throughout by award-winning illustrator LeUyen Pham (Real Friends), this second volume of the Blackberry Farm series offers a gentle message about embracing new friends who may not match preconceived expectations.
PRAISE FOR THE BLACKBERRY FARM SERIES:
“A sparkling story of weathering change.”
–Booklist, starred review
“Becket is an outgoing, refreshingly self-confident protagonist…Readers will appreciate her ability to bounce back from whatever life hands her. Pham’s sketch drawings scattered throughout enhance the energy and humor of the story. Give this to kids who enjoy stories with plucky female protagonists.”
–School Library Journal
“Warm and amusing as Becket and her two siblings navigate their new life on a farm.”
–Kirkus Reviews
“An enjoyable novel for young readers beginning to explore the world on their own terms.”
–Horn Book Magazine
“Becket’s narration vibrates with energy and cheer…Pham’s black and white illustrations…have just the right amount of comic flair to match the vibrant humor of Becket’s story.”
–The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“Perfect…This fun and colorful novel will surely make you happy and brighten up your day.”
–Newsday
REVIEW
I was invited to be a part of this blog tour via email, but by the publicist herself and not a blog tour host. Seeing that it is a childrens book, I signed up because I thought it would be a nice break from everything I’ve been reading these days. The publicist then sent me a Netgalley link, along with the first book in the series. I’m just so happy to add short books on my Netgalley shelf because they’ll be faster to read and I want my feedback ratio increase. LOL. I just need some reading accomplishment this year, okay? 😂
I read All Pets Allowed right after reading Becket List, book 1 in the series, where I met Rebecca “Becket” Branch who is possibly one of the most cheerful and positive kids in fictionlandia. She says “Beautiful Alert” everytime she sees something beautiful and wants to show to others. She’s very charming and just overall a ball of sunshine. In Becket List, Becket and her family just moved to their grandma’s farm so she had a list on how to be a perfect country girl. (Read my review here to know how that went for Becket) All Pets Allowed centers on Becket and her twin brother Nicholas’ tenth birthday. They both wanted new pets. Becket wants a dog and Nicholas wants a cat. But they didn’t exactly get the kind of dog and cat that they wanted. You see Becket and Nicholas have opposite personalities. Becket is outgoing and cheerful and Nicholas is more reserved, even shy. But then Becket ended up getting a dog that is too shy and needs a LOT of training while Nicholas got a lively cat, when he only wanted something to pet.
This is such a delightful read Both Becket and Nicholas are already in my heart and it’s impossible not to like them. I love the little conflicts throughout the book. They’re fun but of course, for Becket and Nicholas, they’re big deals. This is not just a story of, you know, getting pets and training them. This is actually a story of learning how to embrace new friends even if they’re not what we expected to be.
I think the characters are very well-written and unforgettable. I honestly want to yell, “Beautiful Alert” now everytime I see something beautiful. That would be fun. The book is short but the right size for kids in elementary. But I’m hundred percent sure that even adults will enjoy this book because I did enjoy it.
RATING: 4 Blissful Pages with Lilies
If you have kids, buy this series for them. you won’t regret it. 🙂
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Adele Griffin is the acclaimed author of Tell Me No Lies and Be True to Me, as well as Sons of Liberty and Where I Want to Be, both finalists for the National Book Award as well as the middle grade series The Oodlethunks and Blackberry Farm. She lives with her husband and children in Brooklyn, NY.
LINKS:
WEBSITE: adelegriffin.com TWITTER: @adelegriffin
Have you read this book? Or planning to? What do you think of it? Let’s chat.
Lili's Blissful Pages 