The Puppy Place comes highly recommended from an expert in middle-grade literature. (That is, a nine-year-old boy I know recommended it as “the best series” he had read.) These charming books each focus on a different puppy who is looking for a good home.

The story and writing of Patches are simple enough for a middle-grade student to read independently, and they contain problems that kids will see as being well within the reach of what ordinary kids can solve. Children can identify with the protagonists of the story, which centers around children and puppies, with adults playing only supporting roles to the action. The story does have some unexpected twists and turns and will definitely keep a child’s attention even with the spoiler that is on the cover of every installment of Puppy Place in the form of the tag line “where every puppy finds a home”. Yes, every puppy will find a home, but it is the journey toward finding that home that makes a fun, funny, and heartwarming story.

Patches is the eighth book in this series, but it is a stand-alone story with only brief mention of anything from the previous books. This series can be read in any order.

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  None

Violence/Gore:  A window is accidentally broken; a dog is left in the garage and (unintentionally) unable to reach his water bowl.

Sex/Nudity:  None

Mature Subject Matter:

Animal neglect.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

None