“I stood at the bottom of the driveway in my pajamas with a serious case of bed head.”

From Allan Woodrow’s The Pet War.

After the neighbors moved and took their amazing dog with them, Otto is definitely feeling the man’s-best-friend-sized hole in his life and he decides that his family needs a dog.  To win his no-pet mom over, Otto reluctantly reaches out to his annoying older sister, Lexi, for help, but her desire for a cat instantly placed the siblings at odds… even more than normal.  Their mom answers their pet requests with firmly negative answers, because of Otto’s irresponsibility and Lexi’s inability to finish anything.  When their mom comes up with a contest that whoever is first to earn $500 by the end of the month, can get the pet of their choice, Otto and Lexi begin earning money to get a pet before the other sibling does.  While Lexi builds a steady business with both tutoring and sign making, Otto struggles to find some way to make money.  After several terrible and expensive mistakes, Otto reaches out to his best friend, Malcolm, for ideas and Otto soon finds himself working as a dog walker.  Despite his huge love for all things dogs, Otto still finds himself stuck in the middle of several messy situations as he tries to be more responsible and mature, all while earning the money before Lexi does.

Woodrow’s showcase of sibling rivalry creates a story that rings true for any reader with siblings.  There are some funny moments and situations in the book, but Otto’s attitudes can drag a bit for most of the story.  The Pet War is a moving story that highlights the struggles and benefits of being kind to siblings.