Read Shrinking Violet Definitely Needs a Dog free for 7 days. £7.99/month after - less than a paperback.
Lou Kuenzler's Shrinking Violet Definitely Needs a Dog is a giggly story for 9 year olds about a girl who shrinks every time she gets too excited.
Violet Potts wants a dog more than anything. She's even being nice about Mum's spinach stew to prove how responsible she is. So when Uncle Max sends word that he's coming with "wonderful news", and Violet overhears the words surprise and adorable, she's sure it's a puppy.
There's just one problem. Whenever Violet gets overexcited, her toes tingle and she shrinks until she's no bigger than a teaspoon. Nobody in her family knows. And who's going to trust a girl with a dog when she's sometimes small enough to be eaten by one?
The surprise isn't a puppy. It's Uncle Max's new fiancée, Bunny, and a frilly blue bridesmaid dress that makes Violet look like Little Bo Peep.
So Violet makes a new plan. She and her best friend Nisha sign up to help at Paw Things Pet Rescue, where a young woman called Yana has spiky green hair. But the barking is SO exciting that Violet shrinks right there in the kennels. And this time Nisha sees her.
Violet tells the story herself, and she's great company. She crunches her way through a raw onion and practises her seven times table just to keep calm (anything boring will do). She climbs the stairs using her sister's earring as a pickaxe. Then there's Tiny, a massive dog who dribbles on her from a great height, which is gross and very funny.
The nicest part is Nisha. Violet has kept her shrinking a secret from her best friend for ages. Watching Nisha find out, scream, cover for her and then tuck her safely into a cardigan pocket is really sweet.
If you've got a reader who has ever begged for a pet, they'll recognise every one of Violet's schemes. The shrinking is magic, but the wanting is completely real.
Want to see where it all started? The Incredible Shrinking Girl has Violet shrinking for the very first time, in the queue for a roller coaster she's finally tall enough to ride.
A library hand-picked by an English teacher, delivered through a calm, ad-free app. If your child already loves reading, we keep up.
7-day free trial. Then £7.99/month.
