When William and Elinor's father leaves one night, their whole family is devastated. The solution? Their mother takes them to the animal shelter to pick out a pet -- or, as it turns out, five. With the help, love, and wisdom of the four dogs and one cat, the family finally begins to heal. Of course, a little magic helps since, one by one, the family members gain bravery and perspective and realize they can hear their pets talking to them.
Newbery Award winner MacLachlan has crafted a sweet story that may give hope and understanding to children whose parents are going through a separation. Although the story contains some nice twists, it is the characters who make this one; the children are realistically crafted, each pet has an individual personality, and even the secondary characters are thoughtfully developed -- often in amusing ways. Best of all are the talking pets. After all, what child hasn't dreamed about understanding just what their dogs and cats are trying to say to them?
EL -- ADVISABLE. Reviewed by: Caryn
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