Goosed! Book

One dog too many

T.P. is Jeff's dog. Jeff is T.P.'s boy. That's the way T.P. likes it. Life is pretty good — until a stinky, thumping, yapping box turns up at the front door. Jeff's friend Mandy has given Jeff a chocolate Lab puppy. They name her Mocha, and everything changes for T.P. Mocha drives him nuts with her endless chattering and questions. On top of all that, everyone keeps telling him to "be nice to the puppy." If only things could go back to the way they were before....

But when Mocha gets "GOOSED," will T.P. have the courage and compassion to come to her rescue?

School Library Journal

Gr 2-4-Told from a bird dog's point of view, this sibling-rivalry story chronicles the arrival and gradual assimilation of a puppy into the family. T.P.'s narration has its funny moments as he pouts, growls at Mocha's incessant questions, and thinks that he has outfaced three coyotes before seeing that he has been rescued by the appearance of Jeff, his boy. The older dog is able to prove himself, however, when a Canada goose tries to attack the swimming puppy and nearly drowns her. Wallace creates plausible doglike thoughts and selects what T.P. is able to comprehend: he can decipher human talk, but doesn't understand telephones, television, or the remote-controlled "magic gate." He has a doggy nose for scents, enjoys marking the territory as he checks out the rural property, and treats the family cat with friendly camaraderie. Some readers may enjoy the budding romance between Jeff and Mocha's former owner, but it's difficult from the text to determine how old these children are. They appear to be about 10 or 11 in Rogers's pencil-sketched illustrations. Less stylish and demanding than James Howe's "Bunnicula" series, this beginning chapter book should appeal to fans of talking-animal stories and those looking for a light and humorous read.-Susan Hepler, Burgundy Farm Country Day School, Alexandria, VA Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.