Shelter Pet Squad: A Great New Series by Cynthia Lord

I was very excited to see that Cynthia Lord had a new series for middle grade readers. The new series, Shelter Pet Squad is perfect for my 3rd graders and several of them have read it already. This Friday, we'll be having a morning book club about the book and lots of kids have signed up.

This book is different than other series books for this age group and I can't wait until there are more books in the series.  This series is perfect because it talks about an issue kids care about and creates a great story around it.  It also focuses on the idea of volunteering and the kids in the book have a cause they believe in.

The book is a good length for kids newer to chapter books. My kids spent about a week reading this one and there is lots to support kids at this transitional stage of reading.  The chapters have titles which I think always helps in comprehension.  The chapters are short--10ish pages---so kids can typically stop at a good point and start back at the beginning of a chapter.  The endpapers give kids lots more to think about--how to make the crafts for pets that the characters in the book made, some info on Cynthia Lord's pets, some information on volunteering at the animal shelter and more.

This book acknowledges that young children care about important things and can make a difference in their communities. So many books for this age focus on the goofy sense of humor that many kids have at this age. Those books are necessary but so are books like Shelter Pet Squad that shows young children in real life leadership situations.

According to Cynthia Lord, the next book in this series is due out on August 15. I can't wait and I imagine the kids in my class will feel the same when I share the news with them.

Definitely a new series to check out!