RAISING LUMIE

Olive, a seventh grader with plenty of heart, is raising a puppy to be a guide dog for the blind.

Olive’s devoted to dogs, and the opportunity to raise Lumie through the first year of her life comes at just the right time for her. Her beloved father died six months ago of cancer, and she’ll be living with her stepsister, Maudie, a young woman who’s nearly a stranger to her. Maudie is trying to find her way through a serious but unhappy relationship with a self-focused man who doesn’t want Olive in their lives. In addition, Olive must relocate three hours away from all she’s ever known, moving with Maudie into a small section of a rooming house. Winner of a Newbery Honor for Hope Was Here (2000), Bauer once again works her magic, crafting memorable characters overflowing with courage and kindness who react in believable—but also admirable—ways to the challenges in their lives. Just as Olive gets ready to face Lumie’s placement in advanced training, the year-old dog is viciously attacked and seriously injured in the park by an escaped guard dog, leaving her fate in doubt. The pitch-perfect ending will leave readers both smiling and crying—simultaneously. Olive and Maudie present white; some of their fellow rooming-house residents are people of color.

Outstanding for dog lovers and anyone who could use a hefty dose of good feeling.