Read Must Love Pets 01 – Furry Friends Forever free for 7 days. £7.99/month after - less than a paperback.
Saadia Faruqi's Furry Friends Forever is a warm friendship story for 8 year olds about a girl whose mum has said no to a dog forty-two times.
Imaan is ten and it's the first day of summer vacation. She lives in California with Mama, her grandfather Dada Jee and her very gross six-year-old brother Amir. Mama is an accountant who works from home, and she's not budging. A dog is a huge commitment and that's that.
So Imaan needs a plan. Her best friend London (who wears suit jackets and wants to run a business like her mum) is the one who makes plans happen. Then Olivia moves in next door, with her camera and her aunt's poodle stories.
It's Olivia who says it. Why not look after other people's pets? Suddenly the three of them are running Must Love Pets, making flyers and arguing about business names.
Their first customer arrives sooner than anyone expected. Mrs Jarrett down the road has to rush to the hospital, and somebody needs to look after Sir Teddy, her huge golden retriever. Of course Imaan says yes!
The walk that follows is very funny. Sir Teddy drags Imaan down the street, stops for every flower and then does a poo in a bush. Olivia is the only one who knows what to do about that bit.
You're right inside Imaan's head the whole way. She's dramatic, cheeky with her brother and totally sure her mum will crack on try number forty-three. It's the sort of plan a lot of ten-year-olds would make, wouldn't they?
There's family warmth everywhere too. Mama bakes banana bread for a poorly neighbour. Dada Jee grows lemons and plays cards with his friend in Hindi and Urdu. There are parathas for breakfast and a whole kitchen full of love and bickering.
Imaan's dad died of cancer a few years before the story starts. She talks about him in a couple of gentle scenes, like the little Happy Meal toys they collected together. It's backstory and handled softly, but a child who has lost a parent may want you close by.
It's written in American English, so there's plenty of "mom" and "fifth grade", but nothing that will trip anyone up.
If your reader is desperate for a dog of their own, Shrinking Violet Definitely Needs a Dog should hit the spot. Violet has been told NO four zillion times and is busy proving she's responsible (with a lot of spinach stew going everywhere).
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