How I, Nicky Flynn, Finally Get a Life (and a Dog)

This touching and engrossing story stars 11-year-old Nicky, whose parents have just split up, forcing him to move with his troubled mother to a tiny apartment in Boston. Despite having difficulty making ends meet, Nicky’s mother brings home another mouth to feed: Reggie, a former guide dog. While Nicky is at first dismayed by his new companion, he quickly grows to rely on him, particularly since he is having a hard time integrating at his new school, and his father neither calls nor visits. With Reggie leading the way, Nicky visits the haunts of the dog’s former owner and tries to figure out why Reggie landed at the pound. But the web of lies he tells in the process grows out of control, and ultimately he must face up to the truth and accept the dissolution of his parents’ marriage. In his first book for young readers, Corriveau (Housewrights) includes cultural and geographical facts about Boston without weighing the story down. Nicky should appeal to readers who have had troubles at home or have struggled to fit in. Ages 8–12. (May)