The Underdogs by Tracey West. Illus. by Kyla May

The Underdogs live in Barksdale and as a group they feel the pressure of being the poorest achievers in the Barksdale Academy’s “Best in Show”. Nova is keen for the group to practise together and she sets up training exercises for the Underdogs to help them pass their Agility Exam. Each dog in the Underdog’s group has their own individual issues. Nova gets over excited and becomes clumsy, Duke has height issues and doesn’t want to climb, Harley is a squirrel chaser and Peanut refuses do anything that might get him dirty. To make matters worse other dogs from Barksdale Academy mock their training attempts and Nova finds it difficult accepting that her sisters have all won awards while she hasn’t won anything.

Can Nova help the group pass the Agility Exam or will they always be known as the Underdogs?

This middle grade novel will appeal to newly independent readers. The text is strongly supported by Kyla May’s black and white cartoon style illustrations. The opening pages have a visual representation of both the main doggy gang in “Meet the Underdogs” as well as the other dogs in the story in “The Best of Barksdale”. This is helpful in establishing the different characters and gives some information on the town of Barksdale.

Tracey West is an American writer who is known for her Dragon Master series and Kyla May is an Australian illustrator.

A book for 7- to 10-year-olds to enjoy.

Themes: Dogs, Success, Failure, Examinations.

Jane Moore