I’m getting a lot of MARTY MCGUIRE mail these days, since it’s the Grades 1-3 selection for this year’s Global Read Aloud, and I thought it would be fun to share a little news about Marty’s upcoming adventure!
MARTY MCGUIRE HAS TOO MANY PETS!
After visiting a sanctuary for retired lab chimpanzees, Marty wants to follow in the footsteps of her idol Jane Goodall and help with their care. But “adopting a chimp” is expensive, so Marty and her third-grade pals hatch a plan to raise money by holding a talent show at school and opening a pet-sitting business in Marty’s basement. It turns out that each pet has a personality of its own, and wrangling them is much harder than Marty expected. How will Marty keep her latest great idea from going to the dogs?
Kids with an eye for detail will be able to gather some more clues from the cover, especially when it comes to guessing which animals Marty will have as house guests. I only have personal experience pet sitting one of the cover critters…
This is Hermione, the hedgehog my friend Marjorie used to have as a pet. Hermione was indeed a guest at our house while her own family was on vacation a few years ago. She was adorable but prickly in both body and personality, though I think the latter was just a result of missing her usual people.
MARTY MCGUIRE HAS TOO MANY PETS comes out from Scholastic in February. If you know it’s on your books-to-buy list, I’d love it if you’d pre-order through your local independent bookstore.