Dog Trouble
by Kristin Varner; illus. by the author
Intermediate, Middle School    First Second    304 pp.
10/24    9781250225900    $22.99
Paper ed.  9781250225917    $14.99
e-book ed.  9781250406781    $9.99

After an uncharacteristic lapse in judgment with his friends (they skateboarded in an abandoned warehouse and broke the windows), middle schooler Ash must spend his summer with his father, stepmother, and stepsister on a small island in the Pacific Northwest. There he’ll be doing community service at the island’s animal shelter, where his mother hopes he will learn some responsibility. Overcoming some reluctance, Ash soon takes to walking and caring for the shelter’s dogs. Life at his father’s home is more of a struggle as Ash must adjust to Dad’s new family, including being an older brother, and to the “isolating and boring” island. Varner’s (Horse Trouble) graphic-novel storytelling is well paced and compelling, appropriately lingering on emotionally heavy scenes (including the death of a shelter dog) where she allows the art to carry the narrative. Skillful mixed-media cartooning employs limited color palettes to confidently convey Ash’s energetic skateboarding and big emotional swings, along with a parade of adorable canines. Chapter openers give quick facts on a dog breed readers will encounter in that chapter. A tender story of friendship (human and animal), family, and growing into oneself.

From the ">January/February 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.