Karen English 
Dog Days 

It’s tough being the new kid.Gavin had lots of friends at his old school, but the kidsat Carver Elementary don’t even know that he’s pretty good at skateboarding, or how awesome he is at soccer.And when hisclassmate Richard comes over and the boys end upin trouble, not only does Gavin risk losing his one new friend, he has to take care ofhis great-aunt Myrtle’s horrible little dog as punishment.To make matters worse, Gavin seems to have attracted the attention of the school bully.Will he be able toavoid getting poundedat the skate park?And how is heever going to prove he’s coolwitha yappy little Pomeranian wearing a pink bow at his side?"English returns to Carver Elementary, the setting of her Nikka and Deja books, in this strong kickoff to her Carver Chronicles series. Freeman’s upbeat spot illustrations and English’s accessible storytelling target the book to emerging independent readers."(Publishers Weekly)