Take Five: Dogs in Middle Grade Novels

You know what rules? Dogs. I sure do like them. Here are a few middle grade books featuring dogs, all approved by my rescue chiweenies, Charlie and Spot.

These Take Five lists can help you with collection development, displays, reading lists, and more. I have a pretty giant list of potential Take Five themes, but if there’s something you’re desperate for a list for, let me know!

All descriptions from the publishers.

The McNifficents by Amy Makechnie (ISBN-13: 9781665918985 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers Publication date: 06/20/2023, Ages 8-12)

A senior Miniature Schnauzer employed as a very distinguished nanny has his paws full trying to prove he’s still the dog for the job in this sweet and “chaotically entertaining” (Kirkus Reviews) middle grade novel that’s The Secret Life of Pets meets The Vanderbeekers series.

Every day, Lord Tennyson the Miniature Schnauzer does his very best to care for the six McNiff children and keep them from destroying their pink New England farmhouse—and the rest of the town for that matter. But when summer vacation brings the kids home together all day, his chaos-containing skills are put to the ultimate test.

Baby Sweetums is still refusing to walk, nap, or listen to anyone; Ezra is trying to keep a snake as a secret pet; Annie and Mary’s fighting is worse than ever; and Pearl and Tate are scared of just about everything. And when a particularly tempting troop of baby chicks arrives at the house, even Lord Tennyson finds he can’t stay on his best behavior.

As the chaos begin to spiral out of hand, though, something truly awful happens: Mr. and Mrs. McNiff seem to be considering getting “a real nanny” to care for their big brood! Can Lord Tennyson get the McNiffs’ hijinks under control and teach them to behave before the summer’s out? Or will this most unusual nanny find himself out of a job and back in the doghouse?

Haru, Zombie Dog Hero by Ellen Oh (ISBN-13: 9780063272293 Publisher: HarperCollins Publication date: 07/11/2023, Ages 8-12)

Ellen Oh of Spirit Hunters delivers this spooky middle grade novel about the friendship between a Korean American boy and his dog, Haru—who becomes a zombie! Fans of Frankenweenie will enjoy this scary yet heartwarming read.

Even though the world is changing and zombie attacks are on the rise, the bond between this boy and his dog remains strong, and when their town is threatened, Haru must rescue them all. Winner of the Asian/Pacific American Award Honor for Children’s Literature, Ellen Oh delivers another standout story.

Eleven-year-old Luke and his dog, Haru, are the best of friends. Totally inseparable. But when their nasty landlord falsely accuses Haru of biting her, Haru is kidnapped!

As Luke and his friends go on a serious mission to find and bring Haru home again, they discover mysterious experiments happening at the old laboratory at Painted Lake, owned by an evil multibillionaire named Mr. Thomas Sinclair. And Luke and his friends soon fear that Sinclair’s scientists could be doing illegal testing that may endanger Haru and their whole town.

As more strange clues emerge, the boys realize their world is changing fast, and soon Painted Lake is plagued by zombie attacks. But the love between Luke and Haru endures, ultimately helping to save them all.

Dogtown by Katherine Applegate, Gennifer Choldenko, Wallace West (Illustrator) (ISBN-13: 9781250811608 Publisher: Feiwel & Friends Publication date: 09/19/2023 Series: Dogtown Series #1, Ages 8-12)

Now a New York Times bestseller, an Indie bestseller, and an Amazon Best Children’s Book! From beloved authors Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko and with illustrations by Wallace West, Dogtown is at once an uplifting story and a page-turning adventure, sure to find a forever home in readers’ hearts.

Dogtown is a shelter for stray dogs, misbehaving dogs, and discarded robot dogs, whose owners have outgrown them.

Chance, a real dog, has been in Dogtown since her owners unwittingly left her with irresponsible dog-sitters who skipped town.

Metal Head is a robot dog who dreams of being back in a real home.

And Mouse is a mouse who has the run of Dogtown, pilfering kibble, and performing clever feats to protect the dogs he loves.

When Chance and Metal Head embark on an adventure to find their forever homes, there is danger, cheese sandwiches, a charging station, and some unexpected kindnesses along the way.

Nancy Spector, Monster Detective 1: The Case of the Missing Spot by Stephen W Martin, Linh Pham (Illustrator) (ISBN-13: 9781643750651 Publisher: Workman Publishing Company Publication date: 09/10/2024 Series: Nancy Spector, Monster Detective #1, Ages 7-11)

Intrepid eight-year-old detective Nancy Spector and her talking dog, Jinx, search high and low for an invisible dog in this laugh-a-minute, fast-paced graphic novel perfect for fans of Dungeon Critters and The Mighty Jack.

The Invisible Man has a problem. His dog, Spot, is missing. Complicating matters, Spot is also invisible. So the Invisible Man turns to Nancy Spector for help. Nancy eagerly takes the case, and she and her grumpy best friend, a (visible) dog named Jinx, dive into the investigation.

As they follow Spot’s trail, they find themselves:

• Riding dragons
• Searching the monster diner—because all dogs like hot dogs
• Fleeing from vicious chipmunk unicorns
• Shopping in a store that is a gelatinous candy cube named Bob
•  And paying a visit to Nancy’s vampire friend Eugene’s hamster’s funeral 

Every time they think Spot is right around the corner, things get more and more confusing, but Nancy knows that to a great detective, there is no such thing as a bad clue. And Nancy knows she’s a great detective. Now she just needs to crack the case. . .

All the Best Dogs by Emily Jenkins, Manuel Preitano (Illustrator) (ISBN-13: 9780593650431 Publisher: Random House Children’s Books Publication date: 11/05/2024, Ages 8-12)

For anyone who loves a dog—and anyone who loves a laugh, comes this sensitive (and silly!) story about growing up and mending fences. An enduring message of friends, community, and the joy of pets.

Ask anyone who has a dog and they’ll tell you that their dog is the best. Really, truly, the best dog in the world. Theirs is the best dog that ever lived, ever, ever, in the history of the known universe.

Welcome to the dog park! It’s a playground for dogs in the big city. Here, four sixth graders (and their dogs!) overlap on one hilarious and important June weekend.
Ezra needs to find his lost dog.
Cup-Cup needs a friend. (She also needs to learn to walk on a leash.)
Mei-Alice wonders if anyone will ever understand her.
Panda wonders what will happen if she breaks the rules.
Kaleb is covering up a terrible mistake.
Grover and Lottie are making lots of terrible mistakes. (Some of them are disgusting.)
And Jilly needs to make a new life in a newplace.
On this almost-summer weekend, a series of surprises, mishaps, and misunderstandings will end up changing all of their lives.

Filed under: Take 5