Fenway and Hattie

November 30, 2015
This perky, pet-centered tale, first in a planned series, takes readers inside the head of Fenway, an energetic and perpetually hopeful Jack Russell terrier with a deep love for food, intense hatred of squirrels, and undying adoration of his “small human,” Hattie. When the family moves from the city to the suburbs, the adjustment is hard for Fenway: there’s a slippery new “Wicked Floor” to traverse and a dog park without any dogs (i.e., the backyard). Worst of all, Hattie seems more interested in friends and softball than games of fetch. “Nothing can bring a short human back,” the dogs next door explain, but Fenway is determined not to lose Hattie, even if that means learning some new tricks. Coe, making her children’s book debut, describes the trauma of the move and Hattie growing up through the excitable dog’s eyes, nose, and playful vocabulary (thunder is “boom-kabooms” and Hattie’s parents are “Fetch Man” and “Food Lady”) turning Fenway’s everyday routines into a fun, fresh frolic that animal-loving kids are sure to enjoy. Ages 8–12. Agent: Marietta Zacker, Nancy Gallt Literary Agency.

November 15, 2015
Fenway, a young, exuberant Jack Russell terrier, is having lots of trouble getting his "short human," Hattie, to behave. The family's move from the city to the suburbs just complicates matters. First, there is the issue of the very slippery kitchen floor. After losing his footing the first time, Fenway refuses to venture out there again, even if it is the Eating Place. The backyard, which he perceives as an unpopulated Dog Park, is another issue, since nasty squirrels scamper through and Hattie climbs into a treehouse--squirrel house?--that he can't reach. The two neighbors next door, a couple of jaded dogs, don't improve things. Hattie is reluctantly learning to throw and catch a white ball in a big, fat glove and for some reason doesn't welcome his enthusiastic help. And finally, there is the issue of the big group of dogs Hattie keeps taking him to visit, with whom he must learn to sit in order to receive treats. Fenway's first-person point of view is appropriately frisky, even slightly berserk at times. But the jokes are used and then reused and begin to turn from funny into tedious repetition. More books in the series are promised; here's hoping some new doggy dilemmas will emerge. Young dog lovers will enjoy Fenway's point of view, even if his eagerness wears a bit thin. (Fiction. 8-10)

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January 1, 2016

Gr 4-6-Fenway narrates the story of his move with Hattie, Food Lady, and Fetch Man from an apartment near a community dog park to a house with its own dog park. Fenway is a Jack Russell terrier who is so fiercely protective of his girl, Hattie, that he jumps, lunges, and barks furiously and incessantly in the presence of delivery men, squirrels, and even the muffins the new neighbor brings over. The hard, glistening floor in the Eating Place "terrorizes" him, and he whines with a "pathetic face" until Hattie brings him food to the carpeted hallway. Fenway is sad when Hattie abandons him to play with her new neighbor and when he's put in a room behind a Gate after he breaks his leash to protect Hattie from the Truck Man with ice cream. Eventually, his people take him to a place where he learns to stay, lie down, and leave a toy. Readers will relate to Fenway's impulsivity and delight in descriptions from his dog's-eye view. Teachers and adults will appreciate generous sprinklings of rich vocabulary. Fenway's first-doggie perspective is not as complex as McKinley's in Avi's The Good Dog (Atheneum, 2001) or Squirrel's in Ann M. Martin's A Dogs Life: Autobiography of a Stray (Scholastic, 2005), and the tight in-home focus of this story wears a little thin. But dog lovers will enjoy spending some time with Fenway as he adjusts to his new home in the suburbs. VERDICT A solid addition to larger collections.-Laura Scott, Farmington Community Library, MI

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2016
Grades 4-6 A cocky Jack Russell terrier struggles to make sense of changes in his world when he moves with Fetch Man, Food Lady, and his favorite short human, Hattie, from a city apartment to a suburban house. Added to the usual challenges of protecting his family from squirrels and passing trucks, there are all sorts of exciting new sights and smells to investigatenot to mention a pair of new doggy neighbors ( 'Sup, ladies? ). But Hattie's meeting new friends and suddenly leaving him out of all her games and activities. Fenway may not understand Hattie's behavior, but readers looking through his uncomprehending eyes will follow her ups and downs easily as she adjusts to the move. They'll also wince in sympathy as she tries, with mixed success, to train, or even restrain, her barky, hyper, emotional pet. Eventually, once Fenway gets the connection between obeying commands like sit and stay and getting treats, the way is (mostly) clear. Making Hattie happy is a big job, he concludes. But luckily, I'm a professional. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2016
Puppy Fenway is upset when his girl, Hattie, pays more attention to baseball and her human friends than to him. Thinking her baseball glove is the problem, Fenway hatches a plan to get the old Hattie back. While Fenway's antics become repetitive, the relatable worry about friends drifting apart, combined with the dog's-eye view of human behavior, make this an engaging read.

(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)