Oops I forgot that I have two posts going up today! Thanks again so much to Algonquin Young Readers for having me on this tour!

“Charming and beautifully humorous . . . A sparkling story of weathering change.” —Booklist, starred review

Everything is changing for Becket Branch.

From subways to sidewalks to safety rules, she is a city kid born and raised. Now the Branch family is trading urban bustle for big green fields and moving to help their gran on Blackberry Farm, where Becket has to make sense of new routines, from feeding animals to baling hay.

But Becket is ready! She even makes her own “Becket List” for How to Be a Country Kid. Things don’t always work out the way she planned, but whether it’s selling mouth-puckering lemonade, feeding hostile hens, or trying to make a new best friend, Becket is determined to use her city smarts to get a grip on country living.

Get ready to yell “Beautiful Alert!” along with Becket as she mucks through the messy, exuberant experience of change she didn’t ask for, in a story that sparkles with quirky characters, cheerful humor, and unexpected adventures.

New dog, no tricks!

Becket Branch has one birthday wish—a dog! Dogs are outgoing and friendly, and they live life loud, just like Becket. Becket’s twin, Nicholas, wants a pet more like him—a peaceful, quiet indoor cat. When their parents take them to the shelter to choose a dog and a cat, it should be Becket’s biggest BEAUTIFUL ALERT ever. But Becket’s dream dog, Dibs, turns out to be a super-shy scaredy-pooch. Meanwhile, Nicholas’s kitty, Given, loves being the center of attention and greeting visitors to Blackberry Farm.

Can Becket and Nicholas learn how to love Dibs and Given as they are—even if they aren’t exactly the pets the twins dreamed of?
 
With black-and-white drawings throughout by award-winning illustrator LeUyen Pham (Real Friends), this second volume of the Blackberry Farm series offers a gentle message about embracing new friends who may not match preconceived expectations.

“A welcome addition to the engaging Blackberry Farm series.”

-Booklist

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Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Adele Griffin and Algonquin Young Readers for this free copy. All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in final publication.

Ahh both of these books were so cute! I’m so glad that I got to read both of them. I also have to give a huge shoutout to LeUyen Pham for these beautiful illustrations. A part of me wishes that YA books had more illustrations so we can experience it like this! Just a thought, publishers.

Not only did this book make me wish that I could go back to Guam when my grandparents had an active farm life – imagine my mom and her siblings helping out around the farm with all the farm animals surrounding the place – and see how it was back then. I know farm life is no joke and not easy at all, so it would have been such an interesting experience to actually participate. Sometimes a part of me wishes that I had that much land that I could allow the dogs to run around freely in a yard that’s much bigger than we have right now, and maybe a couple of horses and a stable. I think that’s the girl in me that has always wanted to have a horse and learn how to take care of it and have that kind of life.

We have the Branch siblings wanting to add some domestic animals to their family. Becket wants a dog, and her twin brother Nicholas wants a cat. Will a cat and a dog be able to get along with one another, let alone the rest of the animals? It works out in their favor that both parents are huge animal lovers, so think some positive thoughts on how that would turn out. Again this was such a cute story and I definitely recommend reading both of them.