Queen of dogs by Joe Weatherstone

Sadly Maddy’s family do not understand her one bit.  She wonders if she was switched at birth as she manages to upset someone almost every morning.  Her sister and brother are excellent athletes, competing for trophies in their fields of tennis and athletics.  Her mother and father always seem to be buzzing around fitting life into their hectic schedules.  But Maddy loves nothing more than to play with her pug Gusto and wander slowly to school, saying hello to all the neighbourhood dogs on her way.  But then Gusto goes missing and without the help of her busy family, Maddy goes searching for him. As she begins her search she is bitten by a stray Wolfhound, and she discovers that she can communicate with the dogs around her.  This makes her the go-to problem solver for the dog community. It doesn’t take her long to realise that lots of dogs are being stolen and sold on to new owners by the local pound.

Friendship and relationships form a large part of this entertaining debut novel with Maddy struggling to be part of the group at school and being constantly embarrassed about being called 'dog girl'.  But her steely persistence and dogged determination are a highlight as she tries so very hard to solve the mystery of the dognappings and re-unite owners with their missing dogs.

Themes: Dogs, Friendship, Lost and found.

Gabrielle Anderson