Fans of Stick Dog and My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish will love Suzanne Selfors’s hilarious new illustrated series about the growing pains of blended families and the secret rivalry of pets.
“A delightfully fun read that will leave you in stitches!”—Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat
When a bouncy, barky dog and an evil genius guinea pig move into the same house, the laughs are nonstop! Wedgie is so excited, he can’t stop barking. He LOVES having new siblings and friends to protect. He LOVES guinea pigs like Gizmo! He also LOVES treats!
But Gizmo does not want to share his loyal human servant with a rump-sniffing beast! He does not want to live in a pink Barbie Playhouse. Or to be kissed and hugged by the girl human. Gizmo is an evil genius. He wants to take over the world and make all humans feel his wrath. But first he must destroy his archenemy, Wedgie, once and for all!
Time for Kids
It is the perfect balance of humor, peril, sadness, excitement and adventure.
Booklist
Quirky characters and over-the-top humor
Wendy Mass
Praise for the Imaginary Veterinary series: “The best books are those in which imaginary creatures leap off the page and into our world—just one of the reasons why this book is a ton of fun. I can’t wait for more adventures.
Misbehaviour
I truly adored this book! It’s super and genius . . . and not a bit evil. The author is a hero! Who will win out in the rivalry between this cagey Cavy and capewearing Corgi? The readers!
Da & JMV
Selfors has written a hilarious tale of two families becoming one-from the point of view of the pets. This peek into the secret lives of pets will be irresistible to animal-loving early readers.
Last of the International Playboys
Comical illustrations and lighthearted text combine to captivate middle-grade readers as a guinea pig evil genius and a corgi canine superhero match wits and win reader’s hearts.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
A delightfully comedic look at the chaos that is family life… There’s plenty of warmth and humor, with a bit of sardonic bite from Gizmo, and readers of Jamieson’s The Great Pet Escape will find much to love here.
Ministers of BLK
Readers will love Wedgie and Gizmo’s distinct and hilarious voices and Barbara Fisinger’s adorable and eye-catching illustrations!
Dan Santat
A delightfully fun read that will keep you in stiches!
School Library Journal
05/01/2017
Gr 2–5—Gizmo may be a guinea pig, but he considers himself to be an evil genius. When Elliot and his dad, along with Gizmo, move in with Jasmine and Jackson, their mom, and Wedgie, their dog, Gizmo vows destruction. Wedgie, or Super Wedgie, as he likes to be known, wears a red cape, loves to eat food off the floor, and does not like the vet. Through both animals' alternating points of view, readers learn about the adjustments of moving and becoming a new, blended family. Snippets of human conversations and lists of evil plans give a hilarious and unique perspective to this story of two families coming together. The illustrations and short chapters help break up the text for young readers, while the dialogue, formatted like lines in a script, make this ideal for readers theater programs. VERDICT This first installment is great for one-on-one sharing or independent reading. A solid purchase for libraries looking for early chapter books.—Shana Morales, Windsor Public Library, CT
Kirkus Reviews
2017-05-10
When families get blended, so do their animals. Gizmo, a genius guinea pig who can read and wears eyeglasses, and Wedgie, a much less intelligent corgi who wears a superhero cape, each alternately relate their interwoven stories in distinct first-pet voices.Unfortunately for the guinea pig, his owner, Elliot, is forced to let his new, annoying little sister, Jasmine, help take care of Gizmo. Jasmine enjoys dressing him up in tutus and housing him in Barbie's lavish (pink) former abode. But Gizmo is an intrepid sort of critter with evil plans to rule the world, and he does find Barbie's rucksack useful for carrying gear as he engages in some nighttime adventures, not all of them successful. Through comments Elliot makes, readers learn of his unhappiness with his new family situation, although this second storyline takes a back seat to Gizmo's scheming. Acting as his and Elliot's foil, Wedgie, who calls Gizmo "the Furry Potato," is convincingly doglike in his eager embrace of just about everything. Fisinger's numerous illustrations are action-packed and appropriately humorous, especially in their depiction of Wedgie's never-ending enthusiasm. An opening gallery introduces Jasmine's family as Latino and Elliot and his father as black. While the tale is never laugh-out-loud funny, it's amusing and imaginative enough to sustain interest for readers new to chapter books. Gizmo is more droll than likable, but Wedgie is attractively steadfast and amiable, in the end rescuing both Gizmo and the story. (Fantasy. 7-10)
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