Walkin’ the Dog

Lynch (the Special Forces series) explores elements of socioeconomic disparity and anxiety in this hopeful and humorous story of disparate families, friends, and the dogs they care for. The stress surrounding 13-year-old Louis’s fast-approaching entry into public high school after years of being homeschooled weighs heavy on him, especially since he’s content to keep up his quiet loner routine in the sleepy coastal New England town where his father pilots a commercial fishing boat. Dealing with his powder keg older brother and overbearing younger sister while desperately missing activist Ma as she receives inpatient treatment at a psychiatric hospital intensifies matters. But when Dad compels him to sit for a neighbor’s smelly, needy pooch, Louis finds himself running a busy dog-walking enterprise, an endeavor that supplies him the courage to comfort Ma; reconnect with a kind, Haitian family acquaintance; and help a new harmonica-playing friend who’s dealing with a difficult homelife. Lynch infuses Louis’s narration with a breezy, sometimes mature vernacular, crisp wit, and powerful emotions surrounding the intense joy, sorrow, and wisdom that come with canine companionship. Louis and his family read as white. Ages 8–12. (Mar.)