Queen of Dogs by Joe Weatherstone

Title: Queen of Dogs

Author: Joe Weatherstone

Genre: Fiction, Mystery

Publisher: Walker Books Australia

Published: 5^th June 2024

Format: Paperback

Pages: 288

Price: $16.99

Synopsis: Maddy’s family are talented and ambitious — sporting trophies, top grades, they collect them all. But Maddy would rather spend time with her best friend, her pug Gusto. When Gusto disappears … her world changes.

Her search for Gusto reveals a surprising talent and Maddy can’t believe her ears. She can understand everything the neighbourhood dogs are saying and suddenly Maddy becomes the go-to canine problem solver. But when more and more dogs go missing, Maddy finds herself with a much bigger problem … and she is going to need a lot of friends – two-legged and four-legged – to help her solve it …

‘With suspense, humour and a pack of darling dogs, Joe Weatherstone’s debut middle-grade novel is full of heart. Queen of Dogs is a story about loneliness, the power of animals, making new friends, and creating change in local communities. Fans of Kelli Anne Hawkins’ Copycat, Zana Fraillon’s The Way of Dog, and the classics Doctor Dolittle and Nancy Drew will be delighted by Weatherstone’s ability to craft a compelling mystery with a young girl’s unbreakable bond with her dog at the heart of the story.’ Books+Publishing

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Maddy is in a family where success, talent, and ambition are everything – work, sports, school, trophies and top grades. But Maddy is nothing like them – in fact, she’s quite average. And instead, she devotes all her time to her dog, Gusto – her only friend and there because she promised her parents she’d try at school and for a scholarship at her sister’s school. But one day, Gusto goes missing, and Maddy is devastated. Then, she meets Chompsky – and her world changes. Soon, she can hear everything the dogs are saying, all their problems, and she finds out that there is something sinister going on. Other dogs are going missing.so Maddy and Chompsky set about to find out what has happened to the missing dogs – and to help the ones chattering away to Maddy.

And so the novel delves into the world of dogs, and where the world of dogs and humans collides as Maddy searches for her beloved Gusto. With more going on than her missing pug, Maddy is determined to help the dogs of her neighbourhood. And as more dogs go missing, and dogs begin to reveal their secrets and worries to Maddy, the story gains traction, and slowly, we see what Maddy is truly capable of. Even if it us something her overachieving family doesn’t see as worthwhile. The premise of the book – a girl with no special talents, who doesn’t fit in anywhere, finding out that she can talk to dogs and help them – and this is an emergency!

As the story unfolds, we get to see Maddy come into her own with Chompsky, who gives her the confidence to find out what she can do as she determinedly sets about finding Gusto, willing to sacrifice all else, and let down by her family, who do not seem concerned that Gusto is gone – their efforts are half-hearted, and I wanted to hop into the book and help her, because apart from Chompsky, she was alone for much of the book – until she is joined by more two-legged and four-legged friends, showing how important it is for the community to come together, and to show that we respect and can try to understand each other, even if the things people we know are into don’t always make sense to us. Maddy’s journey is important, because she needs to learn what she can do, how to let go, and comes to understand that she can misinterpret people and misunderstand things. At the same time, Maddy feels overlooked, and I think readers who are in a family where everyone else has a talent, but they don’t, where they feel like they are on the outside. I like that it lets readers know everyone is good at something, and that we can’t all be good at the same things – not everyone can be good at sports or music, or acting, or performance. That it is just as important, just as acceptable, to be good at something that is not as showy, or that means you get trophies. But also, it also shows that you don’t need to win trophies to be accepted. You can achieve things in unconventional ways. I liked this because it assures readers that whatever your interests are, however you are – it is okay to be this way.

This book was a fun romp and adventure, with light and dark in places but necessary, and dealt with in an age-appropriate way for middle grade readers who like a mystery but also don’t want anything too dark. It’s gentle yet mysterious, and I loved that it celebrated quiet achievers and those who are average – they’re not really good at something specific, nor are they bad at anything specific. It’s an experience that we have all had, and I think it is wonderful to have a book celebrating this. Another great book from Walker Books.