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Pasture Bedtime

Charlie's Rules #1

#1 in series

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

There's no rulebook for living on a veterinary farm for sick animals — unless you make one yourself!

Eleven-year-old Charlie Dembinski likes to keep his life organized and quiet. This is a challenge when you live on a farm where your mother runs a veterinary clinic for the local livestock, neighbors' pets and sometimes rescued wildlife. To complicate Charlie's orderly life even further, his mother hires a bookkeeper to live on the farm who brings along her daughter, Amy Ma. And Amy is anything but quiet! Her constant questions and attempts to spend time with Charlie really bother him, and he doesn't understand why the adults seem to like her so much. But when a neighbor's beloved dog gets sick with a mysterious illness, Charlie realizes that Amy's outgoing approach might not be all that bad.

This is the first book in the Charlie's Rules series.

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    • School Library Journal

      September 1, 2020

      Gr 1-3-Charlie enjoys living on a farm most of the time. He likes to keep his life organized and quiet, but this is hard when his mother runs a veterinary clinic on the farm. To help keep it organized, he has a rule notebook for every situation he encounters. This time, however, he doesn't have a rule in his book for how to deal with his mom's new bookkeeper's daughter, Amy. She's loud, very disorganized, and Charlie doesn't understand why adults like her. These aren't his only challenges: A beloved dog gets sick, a puppy gets mistreated and left at the shelter by its owner, and a cow gets stuck in a tree. Can Charlie learn to navigate his new friendship and the wacky mishaps at the farm? Charlie and Amy are delightful, engaging, funny characters. The well-written plot is simple and easy to follow for beginning and reluctant readers. The detailed illustrations are eye-catching and work well with the text. VERDICT Fans of humor, animal fiction, and friendship stories will enjoy this book. Recommended for most library collections.-Kira Moody, Salt Lake County Lib. Svcs.

      Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Kirkus

      August 1, 2020
      With a new assistant in the vet office, Charlie learns there are multiple ways to heal. Charlie is very logical and makes the most of his time. If he is not assisting his veterinarian mother, Selena, with her furry farm clientele, he is busy building doghouses to make money. His peace is disturbed with the sudden appearance of an inquisitive and chatty peer. After too much small talk she finally reveals that she is Amy Ma, the daughter of the new bookkeeper at his mom's office. (Oddly, Amy's mother herself never appears in the story.) The bookkeeper job also includes room and board on the ranch where Charlie lives, which means plenty of quality time with Amy, much to his chagrin. As the two assist Selena with several patients, including Mrs. Alred's aging dog, a cow stuck in a tree, and a bloated kitty, Charlie reluctantly begins to appreciate Amy's ability to comfort both the patients and their owners. Eventually the pair collaborate for better outcomes for a neglected puppy and an aging hound. The solid writing delivers a straightforward and charming plot, ideal for young readers transitioning to chapter books. Gendron's illustrations are interspersed throughout chapters and give plenty of life and emotion to the characters. Charlie and his mom present as White while Amy presents as Asian; secondary characters are diverse. A pleasant read for lovers of pet stories. (author's note) (Fiction, 6-8)

      COPYRIGHT(2020) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:550
  • Text Difficulty:2-3

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