Hound Dog True

By Linda Urban
Rating: 4 stars

In this short and sweet story, Mattie Mae and her mom have moved yet again, but this time, they are staying with her Uncle Potluck in the old family home.  Mattie Mae struggles with being anxious about the beginning of the new school year and about how hard it is for her to make friends.  But she keeps her anxiety hidden as much as possible since she doesn't want to disappoint her mother.  Bullying from her previous school over the stories Mattie was writing in her notebook just makes her even more withdrawn.  But as she helps her uncle out before school starts with his custodial job, Mattie thinks that maybe she'll be able to hang out with during her recess times and escape having to make friends.  Then the neighbor's niece Quincy comes to visit, and Mattie is expected to make friends with her.  How can Mattie even think of the right words to say?  Misunderstandings and an accident actually help Mattie finally make some progress.  This is a quiet story that is full of hound dog truth and tells that sometimes being a little bit brave can matter  a lot.  Lovely.