{My Thoughts} – Suzannah is back again in this new installment to the Shelter Pet Squad Series. The animal shelter that she and her group of friends volunteer at is having an adoption even at the local mall. Since she is the youngest she is told that she will need her parent there in order for her to attend. That really hurts her feelings because she likes to think of herself as an independent girl despite are age limitations.

Suzannah learned a lot about herself in this book. She learned that it’s okay to ask for help when you don’t understand something. She learned that she may not always like the outcome of situations but in most cases they turn out in the end. She also learned what it’s like to be terrified for an animal even if the animal wasn’t her own.

Merlin is a spunky ferret. If you have ever been around a ferret or owned one will understand the struggle within the pages of this book. A ferret is not a pet to be taken lightly. They require a lot of extra work, a special diet and you more or less need to ferret proof your house. There are so many things and places a ferret can get into that aren’t considered safe for them and they need to be able to roam outside of their cage safely for exercise.

Suzannah makes it her goal to help Merlin find the perfect forever home while at the adoption event. However, the one promising person she found didn’t appear ready to have another ferret. Merlin got to go back to the shelter and wait for his turn to be adopted. Does Merlin get adopted? What happens that makes Suzannah scared for him? You’ll have to read to find out.

I recommend this book for any child that loves animals, wants a pet ferret, or is interested in helping out at the local animal shelter. This series is an amazing series and it is spot on with the things that can occur at an animal shelter. I wish our local SPCA had a shelter pet squad. I would enroll my children because it would help them to learn all sorts of things. I also like that at the end of the book the crafts that are made in the book for the pets are explained so that children can make them at home for their own pets. ( )

Usually, I read the first book in a series, but the first title in this series, Jellybean, has been consistently checked out and since I needed to read this for Cybils I decided to start with the second one.

I knew when I first read the description that kids would love this series and they certainly have. Suzannah loves animals but her apartment doesn't allow any pets so she gets involved with a local pet shelter. In this title, Suzannah and her friends encounter a ferret and learn about them and figure out the best way to get Merlin adopted to a happy home.

There are a couple things that set this series apart from the usual kids-involved-in-animal-shelter fare. First, Suzannah has to deal with being younger than all the other kids at the shelter. She's limited from participating in some activities and a major plotline in the book is how she tries to be seen as more mature in different ways, like choosing a longer book when they're learning about ferrets, but learns it's ok to ask for help.

I also liked that they showed the animals not just going to happy homes but all the work that went into caring for them and making sure the right people were adopting them. The art is fairly standard black and white pictures. It breaks the story up, but doesn't add a lot to the book in general.

Verdict: You can never have too many of this type of series and this is a popular one. A mildly diverse cast, plenty of helpful information, and a nice length between beginning chapter book and middle grade make this stand out a little from the rest. Definitely recommend this to your Critter Club, Puppy Place, Vet Volunteers, and Animal Ark fans.

ISBN: 9780545635998; Published 2015 by Scholastic; Purchased for the library