Willa and Woof: Let the games begin by Jacqueline Harvey

The fifth installment in a series for middle primary readers about a very imaginative 8-year-old girl called Willa and her large, albino wolf hound, Woof. The series by Jacqueline Harvey started with Mimi is Missing, followed by Birthday Business, Grandparents for Hire and Wedding Rescue.  

The book opens with Willa training hard for a gymnastics competition in her backyard. She is new to this sport and is desperate to help her team win the competition that is coming up in a few weeks. In the meantime, the relationship between Sunset Views, a nursing home and Willa’s school continues to thrive with the help of Willa and her friend Tae. Willa and her dog regularly visit the nursing home now to provide the residents with animal interaction. When Willa arrives on this particular Monday Mr Babbar has had an idea for a new way to bring the children and the nursing home residents together. A Tournament of the Ages will provide activities that they can all participate in and provide some competition between the children and their older friends. However, an unfortunate accident threatens to disrupt all of Willa’s plans and good intentions but may ultimately lead her to make a new friend with an unlikely rival at school. These easy-to-read, adventurous stories, from the author of the Alice Miranda and Kensy and Max books, are perfect for those readers ready to tackle slightly longer novels. The characters will appeal to most children and will be positive role models for this age group.

Themes: Gymnastics, Competition, Dogs, Pets, Friendship.

Gabrielle Anderson