The AppleTree Animal Agency
Katya Balen, illustrated by Gill Smith
Walker Books

Mattie loves animals and watches those that come to her garden in the evenings, pretending that Quilla the hedgehog, Bertie the bat and Marmalade the fox are her pets. Seemingly everybody in her class at Mossdale Primary School owns a pet and Mattie desperately wants a puppy but despite frequently asking her dad, he insists they don’t have time to look after one.

One night as Mattie stands watching her animal friends she sees a shooting star and makes a wish on it. Almost immediately through her binoculars, she glimpses a scruffy pup moving unsteadily as though hurt, but when she ventures outside to look, there’s no sign of it.

Next day when Mattie’s walking with her best friend, Zoe, and talking about the puppy, Zoe’s own puppy runs off only to lead them to the injured pup from the previous night. Off they head to the vets but find the place in a chaotic state.

A boy introducing himself as Caspar tells the girls his vet mum and he are staying for the summer while the regular vet goes to visit his poorly mum. The three children sort out the chaos while the vet tends to the injured paw. A couple of hours later everything is back as it should be to Dr Polly’s delight and she calls the three her apprentice vets.

So begins Mattie’s volunteering stint at the vet’s surgery – seemingly her dream is beginning to come true, but Luna as she’s now called, still isn’t hers. Then comes the incident of the runaway ferret: it ends happily and sparks Mattie’s brainwave – a pet-matching service at the village fete.. Zoe and Caspar love the idea and the three start working on it the following morning. Come fete day the service is a great success: is it just possible that all the animals will find suitable homes with responsible owners? Even Mattie’s beloved Luna? …

And so Appletree Animal Agency is formed.

Katya Balen’s feeling-centred story is thoroughly enjoyable and will captivate younger readers especially animal lovers. The friendship, determination and teamwork of the child characters is terrific and a great example to her audience.