Review: Megan The Pet Whisperer by Pamela Foland

MEGAN THE PET WHISPERER

Megan's World, Book 3

Sonny's Legacy Publishing

by Pamela Foland

Middle Grade Contemporary

81 pages

Megan Thompson is delighted when Dr. Newton asks for her assistance caring for a rescued capuchin monkey, Monty. The rest of the vet staff is terrified of Monty; but from the first moment they met, he and Megan have a special bond. Three days at the clinic allows Megan to see the inner workings of a vet. Hearing about all the scared boarding animals, Megan wants to help them all. Unfortunately, the vet staff sees Megan as an annoying little kid not part of the team. How can Megan earn the staff's trust? Will she ever be allowed to handle any other pets besides Monty?

MY TIDBITS

This is the third book in a series, and although it can be read fairly well as a stand-alone, it does build a bit on certain characters and situations from the first two books.

Megan and Jill are getting their petting sitting service off of the ground, but immediately run into a snag. The dog they are sitting has hurt its leg—something the owners are sure not to like. But Megan remains responsible. At the vet, not only is the dog helped, but she meets Monty, a monkey called Monster because of his fierce behavior. When Monty immediately warms up to her, the vet requests that she help watch over him for a few days. Megan can't believe her luck, but it's only the beginning of her adventures.

I love how these books take a girl and various pets, and manage to bring across an exciting adventure while never leaving this thematic. Megan's world revolves around animals, and her care and consideration for them is inspiring. The author makes sure that the problems and solutions are true to life, which means young pet lovers also learn something along the way. In this book, Monty the monkey brings an exotic flare, but he isn't always on center stage. There's a lot going on, insuring there's never a boring moment. It's an engaging read the whole way through, which is sure to even grab the interest of those who don't necessarily have a super strong interest in reading about animals.

While Megan is a very kind, down-to-earth character, her obsession with animals is impossible to overlook. It's all she thinks and cares about, which makes her comes across a little unrealistic at times. Her best friend does add a dash of young teen reality, but this comes only in very small bursts. Megan doesn't really fit in with her peers, but this doesn't bother her, isn't part of the drama in the book and, honestly, doesn't matter for the plot in any way. Megan also has a tendency to speak like an adult, although her actions and thoughts fit better to her age. Although it makes her a little awkward, she's still an amazing character. Plus, it does leave the message that it's okay to be yourself and chase your own interests and dreams. 

I can only recommend this book. The adventure does grab and is sure to make animal lovers' hearts melt. . .and maybe inspire them along the way. With it's short length, it's a quick read which won't scare more reluctant readers away and even keeps a quick pace the whole way through. It's a book especially girl readers ages eight to twelve, who have a weakness for animals, are sure to enjoy.

And here she is. . .

Pamela Foland grew up in Plano, Texas. Her love of animals started at a very young age.  As a child, she was constantly bringing home stray dogs, and injured birds.  She graduated from the University of Texas at Dallas with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and a minor in Business in 2005.  As an adult, her love of animals has only grown stronger.  Pamela has worked in numerous pet hotels as a dog trainer and is certified to teach pet first aid and CPR.  All her experience with pets culminated four years ago when Pamela found and raised an abandoned litter of day-old kittens.  Not able to part with any of these now-grown babies, Pamela enjoys going home to her "little munchkins" every night.  This experience gave Pamela the inspiration for her series debut, Megan's Munchkins.  Pamela will always have a special affinity with Megan because of their shared experiences.  She truly believes there are few experiences in life more compelling than saving the life of another being.

www.megansworldbookseries.com

Review: Megan's Pet Sitting Adventure by Pamela Foland

MEGAN'S PET SITTING ADVENTURE

Megan's World, Book Two

by Pamela Foland

Sonny's Legacy Publishing

Middle Grade Fiction/Contemporary

106 pages

ages 8 and up

Megan Thompson is back with the next book in the Megan’s World Series, Megan’s Pet Sitting Adventure! Coming November 4th, 2017!! Bringing up four kittens is expensive, and if Megan can’t come up with an idea fast, her parents will give her precious babies away. She thought pet sitting would be a fun, easy job. Getting to be around more animals - what could go wrong? Megan gets her first job watching Mrs. Driscoll’s pets for the weekend. She is responsible for the enthusiastic lab named Max, a talkative African parrot named Taffy, and a finicky Burmese cat named Holly. Each pet comes with its own quirky personality, but Megan plans to look after them like her own. She enlists the help of her best friend Jill, but Jill’s mind isn’t focused on the pets. Is Megan in over her head? Her neighbor’s pets are certainly testing Megan’s pet care knowledge. She is thrown one curveball after another as she works to keep the three pets safe and happy. How will Megan fare? Will she earn the Driscoll’s praise or get scolded for giving poor pet care? Find out in this exciting story of Megan’s Pet Sitting Adventure!

MY TIDBITS

Kittens leads to many more pets in this enjoyable tale.

Megan was able to convince her parents to allow her to keep the kittens, but now, she needs to find a way to pay for their care. After deliberation, she launches a pet sitting service to raise the funds. But dealing with animals isn't always as easy as it seems.

This is the second book in the series, and although I do recommend reading the first one, it isn't impossible to join in on Megan's adventures with this book.

Megan is a pet lover pure. She adores her kittens and has a wonderful respect for animals. She always tries to give them the best of care and is very patient and understanding. Her interest in animals is very focused, leaving little room for other themes. This becomes especially clear in her relation with her best friend, Jill, and causes some tensions, which aren't completely ironed out by the end. Megan faces various problems with her pets and must find her own solutions, which lead to some interesting and fun results.

While concentrating on Megan's adventures with the pets, this book also weaves tips and facts into the scenes. The animal's behavior and reactions are very realistic, something which is sure to thrill young, animal fans.

Summed up, it's a nice continuation to the series. Especially girls who adore animals are sure to enjoy this simple and, at about one hundred words, short tale.



And here she is. . .

Pamela Foland grew up in Plano, Texas. Her love of animals started at a very young age.  As a child, she was constantly bringing home stray dogs, and injured birds.  She graduated from the University of Texas at Dallas with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and a minor in Business in 2005.  As an adult, her love of animals has only grown stronger.  Pamela has worked in numerous pet hotels as a dog trainer and is certified to teach pet first aid and CPR.  All her experience with pets culminated four years ago when Pamela found and raised an abandoned litter of day-old kittens.  Not able to part with any of these now-grown babies, Pamela enjoys going home to her "little munchkins" every night.  This experience gave Pamela the inspiration for her series debut, Megan's Munchkins.  Pamela will always have a special affinity with Megan because of their shared experiences.  She truly believes there are few experiences in life more compelling than saving the life of another being.

www.megansworldbookseries.com

Review: Megan's Munchkins by Pamela Foland

MEGAN'S MUNCHKINS

Megan's World, Book One

by Pamela Foland

Middle Grade Contemporary

Megan’s Munchkins is the first book in the middle grade fiction series Megan's World. Not everything hidden in the closet is scary, even if it’s furry and has sharp claws! Every teenager’s dream come true and every parent’s worst nightmare, Megan’s Munchkins is a short and sweet tale about a middle-school girl finding, quite by accident, the pet she had always wanted. Plus three more! It’s almost Spring break and adventurous thirteen-year-old Megan Thompson finds four tiny day-old kittens in the park and makes a decision on the spot that will turn her life upside-down. What does a young girl do who has been told by her parents over and over again that she may not have a pet? In Megan’s mind, there is no question. She must save these motherless newborns, even if it means keeping them a secret from her mom and dad. The next five weeks are an exhausting blur of vet visits, endless cycles of feeding schedules, household chores, homework and sneaking around, but Megan has never been happier in her whole life. The kittens grow quickly and begin to venture out into the world beyond the closet. Megan knows it is only a matter of time before her she must tell her parents about her secret. Fate steps in and her secret is discovered. What will happen to her precious babies now?

MY TIDBITS

Megan runs across a box of newborn kittens underneath a bush in the park. Knowing that they will die without care, she takes them in. Secretly. Her parents won't allow her to have any pets--something they've reminded her of time and again. Still, Megan can't let the precious kittens die. Hoping that she can prove she's become a responsible young adult, she starts a her mission to win her parents over. But until she can. . .and that might take a long time. . .she must keep her new pets hidden.

This is a book which takes a very average, every day girl into an every day adventure. And that is never boring. Megan is a fairly independent girl with a good head on her shoulders. She's sweet, kind and friendly but has a little rebellious streak--which is exactly what makes her and this story hit home. There's a wonderful sense of family in these pages as well as very down-to-earth friendships. All of these relationships feel natural and kids will easily relate to them.

But this isn't only a story about how Megan deals with her secret pets and parents. The author masterfully weaves in tidbits and informational hints on how to take care of small kittens. Girls who want to try to raise kittens on their own will find a lot of helpful information just by reading the adventure. The first chapter is a little direct, telling the story rather than letting it open through Megan's eyes, but then, the entire finding of the kitties and taking them in happens within a few quick pages. After this, the story takes on a more natural flow. It's not long, is engaging and is sure to especially appeal to girls and kitty lovers ages 8 to 12.



And here she is. . .

Pamela Foland grew up in Plano, Texas. Her love of animals started at a very young age.  As a child, she was constantly bringing home stray dogs, and injured birds.  She graduated from the University of Texas at Dallas with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and a minor in Business in 2005.  As an adult, her love of animals has only grown stronger.  Pamela has worked in numerous pet hotels as a dog trainer and is certified to teach pet first aid and CPR.  All her experience with pets culminated four years ago when Pamela found and raised an abandoned litter of day-old kittens.  Not able to part with any of these now-grown babies, Pamela enjoys going home to her "little munchkins" every night.  This experience gave Pamela the inspiration for her series debut, Megan's Munchkins.  Pamela will always have a special affinity with Megan because of their shared experiences.  She truly believes there are few experiences in life more compelling than saving the life of another being.

www.megansworldbookseries.com