Sunday, 17 May 2015

A Home For Shimmer by Cathy Hopkins (Children's, 9 years +, 10E/10E, short 'n' sweet review)

 
January 2015, Simon and Schuster, 192 pages, Paperback, Review copy 

Content: cuteness, animals, tissue needed

Summary from Simon and Schuster
A new best friend - but can she stay?

Amy is fed-up with her new home already - she absolutely DID NOT want to move to a freezing-cold farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. But her vet dad has suddenly 'found himself' and is now running his own vet's practice at Silverbrook Farm.

Things begin to look up when Amy meets fellow new girl and cat-loving drama queen, Caitlin O'Neill. When the villagers start dropping off stray animals at the farm, the girls have the bright idea of running a rescue centre. But Amy's parents don't agree - so what will become of the gorgeous white-gold retriever puppy that has arrived at their door? Will they ever find a home for Shimmer?

Nayu's thoughts
Everyone go 'aww' for the cover! In the same way I love horses in books but not in person, so too I love dogs from a distance. Thankfully Amy has little distance between her and Shimmer, although it threatens to separate them for good. I absolutely loved how much the story focused on Amy's family circumstances, which are unusual and highly intriguing. I love stories where families run their own business – even if what they want to do doesn't quite match the expectation their neighbours has. There are glitches galore thanks to misunderstandings and people being plain crabby.

I jumped for joy (sorry for the cliche) when Amy was able to become such a firm friend with Caitlin, who is awesome because of her cat passion. I'm so jealous of what happens for Caitlin! And wish I could join Amy in the teashop. My heart broke for her when Shimmer vanished – I've only ever lost one of my cats for a few hours past bedtime, I could only imagine how awful she felt when her parents said she had to go sleep and leave the search until the morning. This is a must read for all animal lovers, and those who enjoy friendship.

Find out more on Cathy's website.

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