A fun read. I loved seeing how the girls came up with ways to do what they were supposed to do even when they didn't want to. It was funny how they dealt with the puppy and the neighbors. ( )

GREAT BOOK!! LOVED READING IT WITH MY GRAND DAUGHTER!! ( )

I read this book with a cat on my lap. He may have influenced my review on this dog lover’s book. The set up in the prologue was confusing and had too many blahs. The author's writing is stilted. It did not flow well. Too much happened without explanation. The setting seems as if it's written for very young chapter readers-grades 1 and 2, but the vocabulary is more for grades 3-5. The introduction of characters was awkward too. I had trouble figuring out who Blaze was; the sentence "…she's a football and rock star” Had me thinking she was an actual football at first reading. The plot revolves around Maya not wanting to clean up dog poop for the puppy she says she loves so much. They adventure out to find a place for Waggers to poop where they can leave it so that Maya's uncle won't make the dog go away. The setting seems to be going for fantasy with a story of puddin head reds hating blue sweeties and vice versa. The author adds dog care tidbits to the fantasy story. It would have been better as a realistic fiction story with dog care asides. ( )

This first in a series from Author W.T. Kosmos has potential, but at times felt almost outlandish difficult to follow. It is a fantasy, set in the Island Nation world where Puddin' Head Island and Sweetie Island mimic the Seussian Sneetches. A hint of scifi is introduced with the concept of MC Frame glasses as a used technology. Puddin' Heads, who wear red, and Sweeties, who wear blue, are rivals to the point that for some citizens, being friends is not allowed. Maya, a Puddinghead, is best friends with Lily, a Sweetie. When Maya's family rescues a puppy, a pet that is brand new to the Island Nations, Maya has to learn how to care for puppy Waggers. The entire book spans one day in these adventures, which detail Maya's hesitancy to scoop Wagger's poop. The book is geared toward children 8 years or older, so the concept of "poop" will draw readers in, but the bizarre characters that seem over the top will be harder for readers to find engaging. One example is Chip who is devastated that Maya and Lily won't be his best friend, resorting to bawling and throwing himself down on a dirt pile and pounding it with his hands. Another extreme example are the Barkers, two adult men and a woman, who wear red clothing, red masks, red spoon hats, and red spoons belts, crawling on the ground to sneak up on Maya and Lily. The characters are all outlandish and bizarre, which makes the book feel forced and less engaging. Another note, the cover photo does not correspond with the text. Maya is described as wearing a blue shirt with a rainbow, which plays into the story, since blue is the rival Sweetie color. The cover of the book shows Maya wearing a white shirt with a rainbow. This was obviously overlooked in the editorial phase. ( )

I was not a fan of this one. I understand the concept and the idea of separating the two people, but it was a little too out there. It had the feel that it was trying to be a children's sci-fi book without anything to do with science fiction, i.e. futuristic indestructible grass. It didn't fit together well. Rather disappointing.