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Summary
Summary
Eleven-year-old Poppy Ray longs to be a veterinarian, but she's never had a pet. This summer, she's going to spend a month with her uncle Sanjay, veterinarian and owner of the Furry Friends Animal Clinic on an island off the Washington coast.
Poppy is in for big surprises. She loves tending to the dogs, cats, and even a bird, and she discovers the fun of newborn puppies and the satisfaction of doing a good job. But she learns that there's more to caring for animals than the stethoscope and cotton swabs in her Deluxe Veterinarian First-Aid Kit. She's not prepared for quirky pet owners, gross stuff, or scary emergencies. With help from a boy named Hawk, a chunk of seaglass, and a touch of intuition, Poppy gains a deeper understanding of the pain and joy of working with animals.
With warmth and humor, Anjali Banerjee tells the story of a resourceful, determined girl who can't wait to grow up, but begins to realize just how much she has left to discover.
Author Notes
Anjali Banerjee is the author of Maya Running and Looking for Bapu . She was born in India, grew up in Canada and California, and received degrees from the University of California, Berkeley. At the age of seven, she wrote her first story, about an abandoned puppy she found on a beach in Bengal. Her Pushcart Prize-nominated fiction has appeared in several literary journals and in the anthology New to North America . She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and three crazy cats. Learn more about Anjali on her Web site, www.anjalibanerjee.com.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-6-While her parents are in India on business, 11-year-old Poppy Ray spends a month with her veterinarian uncle, Sanjay. She begins the summer with naively high expectations, planning to use her time healing and saving pets of all kinds. However, as her mother is allergic to anything with fur, life in Los Angeles has given Poppy no practical knowledge of animals or their peculiar owners. Her stubborn resolve to help Uncle Sanjay's clients brings her frustration, anger, and hurt, but a developing friendship with 13-year-old Hawk and meditation with a piece of seaglass slowly give her a more realistic understanding of animals, humans, and their relationships. In this realistic story, adults are pretty much hands-off, allowing Poppy to explore her new independence and grow with her experiences. Animal lovers will appreciate the warm, fuzzy moments, cry at the sad times, and feel at home in this rural island community off the coast of Washington state.-Carolyn Janssen, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Eleven-year-old Poppy Ray's parents are headed to India on business. But since Poppy is "serious about becoming an animal doctor," she is sent to her Uncle Sanjay's home on a remote island off the coast of Washington State, where he runs the Furry Friends Animal Clinic. Poppy has prepared for this trip-even bringing her own first aid kit. She wants to dive right in and do a good job, but her actual experience with animals is limited, due to her mother's allergies. The bumpy truck ride that sends her suitcase and vet kit bouncing into a stream portends the rough road ahead. Banerjee (Looking for Bapu) covers some of the starker realities of pet care, from mopping up pee to the need to put an elderly cat to sleep. Sweet moments are interspersed, including the delivery of new puppies, though Poppy's rocky friendship with Hawk, the 13-year-old son of a cranky clinic worker, is not fully explored. While the scope and tone of the novel are simple, it's a quick, satisfying read that should have particular appeal for animal lovers. Ages 8-12. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
A precocious eleven-year-old with an ambition to help sick animals, Poppy Ray gets a chance for some hands-on experience when she visits her uncle, a veterinarian and the owner of the Furry Friends Animal Clinic. With the help of her new friend Hawk, Poppy discovers that working with animals means dealing with everything from persnickety owners to life-threatening emergencies. A choice read for animal-lovers. Copyright 2010 of The Horn Book, Inc. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Eleven-year-old Poppy wants to be a veterinarian like her uncle Sanjay. So while her parents are in India visiting relatives, she spends several weeks with him on Nisqually Island, Washington, helping out at his Furry Friends Animal Clinic. Episodic chapters focus on the people and animals that Poppy meets, her efforts to do a good job, no matter what's thrown at her, and the difficulty she encounters in balancing dreams against some harsh realities. One terrific thing about this book is that there's no talking down, either to Poppy or the reader. Everything's on the table, from Sanjay's father's negative reaction to his son's career choice to the limits of care a vet can provide when a pet is terminal. There are many moving events here, and only the hardest of hearts won't soften when Poppy tries to comfort an elderly man whose beloved cat is being put down. Sometimes amusing, sometimes gross, and always true to itself, this should find a wide readership. Pencil illustrations enliven the chapter headings.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2010 Booklist