12 Strays of Christmas

Gr 4-8–A look at overcoming grief, set against the backdrop of the holidays and first love. Seventh grader Holly is unhappy that her mother’s job has relocated the family from Michigan to Chicago. While her older ­brother has embraced their new home thanks to his relentlessly cheerful friend Alex, Holly counts down the days until they can return to Michigan for Christmas. Before that can happen, Holly has a lot to do: secretly make money to replace her damaged phone; volunteer at the animal shelter for a school project; totally ignore the fact that Alex is maybe kind of cute, but whatever; and face her own past trauma about the events that led to their move and her loneliness. Books in this series are reliable picks for young readers who are eager for romance, but nothing too heavy. This one has a nice addition of including playlists at the beginning of the chapters, much like a YA novel. The story keeps readers guessing at Holly’s past, as her backstory isn’t revealed until later on. The title is a bit of a misnomer since the story doesn’t focus on dogs. Some phrasing sounds more like it’s coming from an adult instead of a young teen, but nothing that will deter an eager reader. Race/ethnicity of the characters was not stated.