3 stars
Nice read for those who enjoy realistic fiction graphic novels. This one follows Maggie, who after begging for a pet for years, finds out she is allergic to fur and feathers. Based on the cover, I thought the dog would be more of a focus. I was actually a bit thrown off when the story switched gears at the end of the first chapter. I love the cover, but I don’t really think it represents what the book is actually about.
The story brings up a lot of complicated issues young readers often have to deal with. Aside from the obvious issues of allergies and wanting a pet, it also touches on siblings and family tension, fighting with friends, transitioning to a new school, making new friends, and a new baby in the family. There are a lot of issues tackled, which makes this a pretty well-rounded book.
Great way for young readers to learn about allergies, whether they have them or not. There is a good variety, both food allergies and animal allergies. Issues come up such as reaction levels, avoidance, skin prick tests, allergy shots, and EpiPens. It does a nice job of presenting some of the basics of living with allergies.
My one critique is that the running pet montage of trying out different pets was off-putting for me. It’s a pretty common element in children’s books. There are some cliché obstacles (fish dying quickly) and some more interesting ones (not being able to handle the frog or toad). Mostly I disliked how quickly pets were disposed of, returned, or pushed off onto someone else. Pet ownership is a big responsibility and personally the cycling of pets didn’t resonate well with me.
Overall a solid book. Despite my nitpicking, this was an interesting, well-written read. I really enjoyed Michelle Mee Nutter’s artwork. It’s a nice blend of realistic and cartoony that works well for the genre. Characters’ emotions really come through in the illustrations and help flesh out the story.