Cover Image: Harvey Holds His Own

Harvey Holds His Own

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Member Reviews

Thank you to NetGalley, Pajama Press, and Colleen Nelson for the ARC to review. This was a quick read. I have not read anything by this author before, but she does a great job of keeping you engaged with the story. The story line was great and I loved the way Harvey, the dog, had his own voice. Would highly recommend to other readers.

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Such a sweet and heartwarming story! I love Harvey and loved the wonderful illustrations.
It's a book that made me smile and I'm sure it can be appreciated by readers of all ages.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

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“Harvey Holds His Own” includes elements that would appeal to any middle schooler: dogs, friends, school, and family. Maggie enjoys her volunteer work at the local senior living center and makes many new friends there. In the process, she examines her own ideas about friendship qualities. The residents at the center love Harvey her dog, who visits them frequently. Austin is another key character who helps his grandfather Phillip with his work at the center. The residents of the senior center work together to help Maggie, Austin, and Phillip with solving problems in surprising ways.

The story is told in first person, and switches viewpoints among Austin, Maggie, and Harvey. The settings include Maggie’s school, her home, and the senior living center. The appealing characters interact in intriguing and realistic ways, and suspense builds on several fronts throughout the story.

This book should interest middle school readers, as well as gently presenting themes of aging, friendship, grief, and caring. Readers should keep in mind that things are not always as they seem! Although this book is the second in a series, it can be read as a standalone.

I received this novel from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

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Thank you to Netgalley and Pajama Press for my digital copy in exchange for an honest review. And honestly? I LOVED this book. I requested it because while I am 50 years old, I do still love to read younger fiction every now and then. I believe you can learn something from every single book you read and while this was a fast and easy read, it also had a lot of heart in it. I love the cover, first off, because any cover with a dog is just plain adorable. The story is told by more than one person/animal and while I don't normally like that, it worked for me this time. Apparently this was a sequel and I had no idea but it did not affect my ability to understand what was happening in any case. As for the story itself? I LOVED it. I have lost a dog so I understand why Maggie was so scared and how she felt when she got Harvey back. I can also understand why she would hold it against the boy who found Harvey and did not immediately try to find out if he belonged to someone. I have also been a young girl so I understand what it feels like when your friendships start to shift and you yourself start to shift so maybe it is time to move on, no matter how hard it is at the time. What I loved best is that most of the story took place at a retirement home. I loved how young and old were brought together and I loved how the story showed what good each could bring to the table. By volunteering at the retirement home, Maggie was changed to the core of who she was...even though her supposed best friends made fun of her for it. In my day, Judy Blume was Queen along with Beverly Cleary and honestly, this author could be today's Queen for all I know. I have not read anything else but I will definitely add some to my Goodreads list.

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Thank you to the author and publisher for an ARC of this book.

I loved getting to spend time with Harvey again! In this sequel to HARVEY COMES HOME, Maggie is trying hard to forgive Austin for keeping Harvey for a couple of weeks when he was lost. When she finds out she has to get volunteer hours for a school project, she chooses Brayside Retirement Villa, the senior residence where Austin's grandpa works and where Austin and Harvey are already friends with the residents. It doesn't take long for Maggie to befriend her own resident, Mrs. Fradette, who tells her about her childhood learning to work on cars with her grandfather when her family had to evacuate their home during a flood in 1950. When she lets Austin take Harvey on a walk one day, Harvey discovers a puppy that's been left in an alley. Though they take the puppy to a shelter, his fate is uncertain, as is the future of someone whom Austin cares about.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, especially the piece of local history. I loved watching Maggie and Austin become friends, and seeing Harvey continue to bring individuals together. I will definitely be adding this sequel to my collection in July.

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Colleen Nelson has a gift for authentically getting inside the head of her various characters, and that includes Harvey the Westie and the wild raccoon hiding under the shed! This novel is a sequel to Harvey Comes Home.but could also be read as a stand-alone. I love how Nelson seamlessly weaves in bits of interesting Manitoba history in each of the books by having a resident of the seniors' home flip through photographs and reminisce. There are about four intertwining tales here and all are great! This is a cozy and satisfying read, whose charm is intensified by the illustrations by Tara Anderson. A perfect uplifting story!

Thank you #netgalley and #pajamapress for the e-review edition of this book.

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Now that Austin has had to return Harvey to Maggie, he is spending more time at the Brayside Retirement Home where his grandfather works, although he is missing his friend Mr. Pickering, who passed away. However, Maggie's school requires her to do community service, and even though her friends laugh at her interest in old people, she decides to return to Brayside. Austin is thrilled to see Harvey, and feels horrible about not returning him in a timely fashion. Maggie gets assigned to help a new resident, Mrs. Fradette, settle in to her apartment and unpack, which she enjoys just as much as organizing the facility library. Mrs. Fradette slowly unrolls the story of her life, starting with the 1950 flood of Manitoba, which caused her and her mother to move in with her grandparents. Her grandfather ran a garage, and she loved to help, which was unusual at the time. Austin is worried that Brayside is going to force his grandfather to retire because they have posted his job, and he gets all of the residents to write letters supporting his grandfather, and plans a party for his "work-iversary". There is also an abandoned puppy that Harvey has found in the alley that Austin has had to turn over to the humane society, since his mother still feels they can't support a dog. Maggie's interest in Mrs. Fradette's history motivates her to write an essay for a contest, and she also starts to feel that she is outgrowing her friends at school. With all of this going on, Harvey manages to get out of the house and have a run in with a raccoon. Everything manages to end well, and the residents of Brayside not only keep Austin's grandfather employed, but surprise Austin with a gift as well.

Strengths: Brayside is portrayed as a positive environment for older residents, with activities, parties, and lots of socializing. The reality of residents ailing and dying is not glossed over, but I appreciated especially that the smell of the place was described as clean and pleasant; Maggie had thought it would smell like moth balls! Harvey is a great dog, and his interactions with the residents is very touching. Maggie's friendship with Mrs. Fradette (and Mrs. Fradette's vintage car!) really shine in this book, and her story is much happier than Mr. Pickering's.
Weaknesses: It would have made more sense for Austin to ask his grandfather about the issues at work, but that wouldn't have been as dramatic.
What I really think: I liked this better than the first book, which had some violent moments. I liked the combination of dogs with history from senior citizens, so will probably purchase the series.

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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book is the sequel to Harvey Comes Home. I haven't read the first one and it's probably not crucial that it be read first. I do want to go back and read it though because I really enjoyed this book. It is very well written. The story is told from several POV, even Harvey himself. Since I read an ARC, there weren't any illustrations yet but judging by the cover, I bet they will be very cute. I highly recommend this book to middle grade kids and any adult who likes a cute, fast read. It has a surprising amount of depth to it for a short chapter book.

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Harvey Holds His Own is a great read for those who love strong stories about pets and their people. While this is a sequel to Harvey Comes Home, this book serves as a strong stand-alone read as well. The author has done a great job of providing enough backstory that a new reader can close the loop and pick up where this book starts. Harvey is a loveable character with good insight into human hearts, while the cast of human characters, ranging from tween to geriatric are equally engaging and important throughout the story. Watching the hearts of these characters grow as they care for one another and give a bit of themself to make life better for someone else. Important life lessons abound, but in a natural and story-driven way that make this an enjoyable read and read-aloud both.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this digital ARC in return for a fair and honest review.

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So glad I got to read this advanced copy, these books are well written and such great stories for young people. The illustrations are also gorgeous and a great accompaniment, young readers will not get confused by the change in narrators, and when Harvey takes the wheel, it is not silly or unrealistic. Full review on Goidreads.

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