Mallory vs. Max Book

Spunky, eight-year-old Mallory McDonald is very unhappy when her parents decide to get her older brother Max a dog. Why would her parents agree to such a thing? Dogs are smelly and bark and chew on things. Plus, they already have a perfectly good cat, Cheeseburger. When they finally get the puppy, it's worse than Mallory imagined. Everyone loves Champ and he and Max are getting all of the attention. Poor Mallory -now everyone's mad at her. What should she do?

School Library Journal

Gr 2-4-Mallory McDonald, age 8U plus one month, returns. She is angry because her brother gets a dog, taking all the attention away from her and her cat, Cheeseburger, and she tries everything to regain her spot in the limelight. The relationships with old friend Mary Ann and new friend Joey are somewhat tested, but the focus is on Mallory and Max. When she is responsible for the puppy running away, she comes to realize that Champ is okay and that it's her own selfishness that is causing the problem. Schmitz's expressive cartoon illustrations and the large typeface make the book appealing to beginning chapter-book readers. For fans of Barbara Park's "Junie B. Jones" series (Random) and Megan McDonald's "Judy Moody" books (Candlewick), this selection is right on target.-Sharon R. Pearce, Chippewa Elementary School, Bensenville, IL Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.