Middle-Grade Review: PAWS: Mindy Makes Some Space by Nathan Fairbairn

In Gabby Gets it Together Mindy Kim, Gabby Jordan, and Priya Gupta form their dog walking business, Pretty Awesome Walkers, because they all love dogs but cannot have pets in their homes for various reasons. While Priya loves sports and Gabby loves reading, Mindy’s life revolves her mother and her phone. Mindy and her mother often hang out together, reading and watching movies. When the two are out, they run into a man, Mike, who is walking his cat, Chonk. Her mother and Mike bond over the shared love of a video game, and soon Mindy feels like a third wheel when she has to go along on dates with her mother. She also feels awkward at school when there is a new student at Charlotte Bronte Elementary, Hazel. Mindy and Gabby are soon sitting at a table with Hazel, who is also really interested in walking dogs. The girls need to increase their client base as former clients no longer their services, but Mindy is increasingly distracted by her mother’s new relationship and her jealousy at Hazel’s inclusion in the group. At one point, Mindy leaves Hazel to walk Chonk alone. Chonk crawls off into a bush to sleep, and since Hazel is in a wheelchair, she is stuck on the sidewalk until the girls come back to get her. Will they all be able to reach some kind of agreement so that they can all get along and keep the business going?