Critter Club: Amy and the missing puppy by Callie Barkley, illustrated by Marsha Riti

This is a new beginning chapter series from Simon and Schuster. Amy is a bit upset about being left at home while all her friends go off to fun places on Spring Break, but she helps out her mom at the veterinarians' clinic and comes upon a missing puppy. As she tracks down clues, she discovers that the puppy's owner, Ms. Sullivan, isn't as mean and scary as everyone thought. One by one her friends come back and help her and in the end they discover the puppy and with Ms. Sullivan's help decide to start The Critter Club animal shelter and help animals.

This is a cute and fresh series that kids will enjoy reading. There are excerpts from a Nancy Drew story that Amy is reading throughout the book (they're really simple, so either made up or from one of the Clue Crew books I would guess) and Amy and her friends are pretty typical beginning chapter book series friends with an identifying characteristic (and race) for each friend - looking at my vendor, it looks like each following book is about a different friend.

The story is formulaic, but that's what kids at this age enjoy and want to read. Mysteries aren't the most popular genre, but the animals aspect of it will pull up the popularity a bit and the pictures are very cute but not too young. I also really appreciate that they're bringing a big chunk of the series out in paperback all at once, since that's how I buy my new series.

Verdict: If you're looking for new beginning chapter series about girls, this will be a good choice. Hand it to fans of Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, Princess Posey, and Puppy Place.

ISBN: 9781442457690; Published January 2013 by Simon & Schuster; ARC provided by the publisher at ALA Midwinter 2013; Added to my series purchase list for October