Raising Lumie
by Joan Bauer
Realistic Fiction
Tween
* * * * Stars (Great)
After 13-year-old Olive Hudson’s wonderful plumber father passes away from cancer she’s taken in by her older half-sister Maudie, who moves them both into a shared house in New Jersey, where she’s starting a new job as a graphic designer. Maudie’s boss is also involved with an organization that raises and trains puppies to be guide dogs for the blind, and he introduces Olive to some of the puppies. Olive is intrigued by the idea of becoming a puppy raiser for the group and after some (not too much) begging, gets Maudie on board with the idea as well. This follows the story of how they care for Lumie the puppy and get her ready to begin her serious guide dog training while they also make new friends and new lives for themselves. A really lovely story that will get you right in the cockles of your heart (whatever those are). Dog/animal lovers will adore this, as will fans of Joan Bauer’s other novels.
Reviewed by YA Librarian
