Gus makes a fuss: Pet Sitters Book One by Ella Shine illustrated by Lisa Flanagan

Cassie and Lina do not own a pet. The girls are best friends. Both sets of parents say no to pet ownership but Cassie and Lina are desperate especially since their town of Barefoot Springs is about to hold a Pet Parade. 

As chance would have it the lady down the road has a cat and he needs pet sitting.  Gus is a rather special cat. He has one grey ear and one white one, "a cute little nose and a bit of a frowny face. He's like a grumpy little fur-ball." You can probably imagine Gus in your 'mind's eye' but you will never guess the other thing that makes Gus rather special. He can TALK but only if both girls are in the same room. Being able to talk means Gus can make his demands known. He is not happy that his owner seems to regularly abandon him. On the day of his arrival Gus escapes and then his owner returns earlier than expected. It's a pet sitting disaster.

Will the girls be able to attend the Pet Parade - with a pet? Can they ever be trusted to pet sit ever again? And what about grumpy Gus?

Gus Makes a Fuss is the first book in the Pet Sitters series. I am always on the look out for easy chapter books with good stories.  This book is not quite at the level I search for but the story did hold my interest. I think it will suit readers aged 7+ to read independently or 5+ if the story is shared by an adult.  I did enjoy the cheeky and bossy voice of Gus. At the end of Gus makes a fuss the stage is set for further adventures and pets!

Here are some books which I would suggest to readers as companion books to go with Gus makes a fuss. There are several books in the Lulu series; The Bed and Biscuit series; Pet Hotel; and Daisy Dawson (she can talk to animals).

You can hear the first chapter on the publisher web site - Puddle Dog Press. This series are also available as ebooks.

This is the first time I have been sent a book by an author. I have explained to "Ella Shine" whose real name is Penny Reeve that I am excited to read her book written with Cecily Paterson but I will only talk about it here if I enjoy it. I avoid negative comments. If I read a book (and I do read heaps of books every week) and I don't really enjoy it then I just don't mention it here. I was interested to discover the authors (who run Puddle Dog Press) sent their book to the television presenter Pip Rasmussen. Pip is my friend's daughter and she was a presenter on ABC Me. I wonder if she talked about this series on her program? 

"Pet Sitters: Gus Makes A Fuss is cheeky little story that will have you wanting more - more Gus, more chaos, more pets!"  Pip Rasmussen

Here is the message from Penny:

I saw your link to your book review group on Your Kids Next Read. I'm one half of the author team behind the pen name 'Ella Shine'. We've recently published a new early chapter book series for 6-9 year olds called Pet Sitters. I was wondering if you'd be interested in reviewing one of our new books.  The books are available in ebook, audio and print - you can see more information on them at our website www.puddledogpress.com 

Thanks, Penny

Here is the full set of Pet Sitters titles. I think they would make a good addition to a Primary School library. The covers are bright and appealing and the pace of the story means readers will keep turning those pages.