Wagnificent is a cute story of the growing pains of bringing a new dog into the household. I think this book would be good for dog owners thinking of getting a foster puppy or introducing a new animal into the home.

Thunder's perfect life with her human, Sage, is disrupted by Byron a dog that Sage agrees to foster. Byron doesn't follow the pack rules and pushes Thunder out of her bed and her bowl and even monopolizing Sage. The illustrations are filled with humor and emotion and, when Byron runs away, and adventure and the dogs work on getting a long....just as Byron is adopted by Sage's best friend. Fun graphic novel that gives the reader great insight into the lives of pets. There is an extensive author's note containing facts about dogs and the need for fosters and rescues.

I love that there is another book in this series and the depiction of dogs interacting with their wolf half is just always such a delight. Readers are going to fall in love again with these characters and the art is just perfection. I am so excited that I got to read an advance copy of this book and for sure will be adding it to our Paws for Reading displays as soon as it comes out.
Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

Adorable story of the arrival of a new dog, told from the point of view of the FIRST dog. Cute, silly, fun illustrations, and an overall great read for any dog/animal lovers in your library. Part of a series, so readers who enjoy this can go on to read more about Thunder (the first dog) and his human!
Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC!

Book Title: Wagnificent: A New Dog in the Den
Author: Bethanie Murguia
Genre / Age Range: Animal fiction / Early middle grade (ages 6–9)
Read-Aloud or Independent Read: Independent read (or a fun read-aloud for animal lovers)

What My Young Reader(s) Thought
Ages: 8
Favorite part: The dynamics between the dogs and the introduction of the new pup—funny, sweet, and totally relatable if you’ve ever had to share your space.
What made them laugh (or gasp or cry): The dog personalities and how dramatic they could be! Lots of good giggles.
What stuck with them after reading: That change can be hard, but new friends (even new siblings!) can turn out to be really great.
Would they read a sequel or recommend it to friends? Absolutely—this series is a hit and perfect for kids who love dogs or talking animal adventures.

What I Thought as a Parent
Quality of writing and storytelling: Light, clever, and engaging—perfectly tuned for younger readers just building chapter book stamina.
Themes or topics worth discussing: Friendship, welcoming others, jealousy, and adjusting to change
Content notes (if any): None—very wholesome and heartwarming
Educational or emotional value: A great way to talk about sibling dynamics or any kind of family change (new pet, new classmate, etc.)
What I appreciated most: It’s just plain fun while still sneaking in thoughtful emotional lessons—and the dog voices are pitch-perfect.

Quick Impressions
Fun and engagement: High—great pacing and humor
Writing quality: Playful and age-appropriate
Relatability and themes: Strong for kids navigating social change
Age appropriateness: Excellent for ages 6–9
Re-readability: Likely—especially for dog lovers or early chapter book fans

Would We Recommend It?
Overall impression: Yes—a charming, funny, feel-good sequel
Who we think would enjoy it: Early elementary readers who love dogs, animals, or friendship stories
Best time or setting to read it: Weekend read, early reader book club, or shared reading time
Perfect for fans of: Owl Diaries, The Critter Club, or Fenway and Hattie

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance copy! All opinions are entirely our own.

“Wagnificent: A New Dog in the Den” is a quick and easy read with simple language and an approachable art style.

While it was a bit too childish for my taste, I recognize that I’m not the intended audience.

For young readers, especially those who love dogs, this book will probably be an enjoyable read.

Wagnificent is such a fun series. I love the art and going through each story through the mind and heart of the dog is such a joy. I will read every single next one!

In this second installment, Thunder is not sure how to react to the new dog that Sage has brought in as a foster. The dog conversations are exactly what I would expect and it was an overall cute story with good graphics!

The first Wagnificent book has been a sleeper hit in my library. It sat on the shelf for a few months before its first checkout, and now it gets picked up from the returns cart before it's even checked back in! So, I was very excited to see the sequel, because I know my students will love it.

Wagnificent: A New Dog in the Den is a charming installment in this dog-narrated series. Thunder and her human Sage encounter new challenges, when Sage fosters a new dog and Thunder feels like her territory has been invaded. Thunder's inner Wolf (that appears when she fear toots) faces off against Byron's inner protector.

There is even more meat to the story than the first book in the series, and this title continues some helpful (but not an overwhelming amount of) information about how dogs communicate their feelings and interact with each other.

Highly recommend.

This graphic novel shows a humourous take on what it means to introduce another dog into your home. Told from the perspective of Thunder, kids will love all the shenanigans she gets into when she meets Byron, a new foster dog. Byron and Thunder have to learn how to live with each other as well and settle other differences. At the novel's end is a great chapter teaching kids about humane societies and different types of dog personalities.

My daughter is 7 and just really getting into graphic novels--she and I read this together, and she adored it! When Byron, a new dog joins the family for a day of pet-sitting, Thunder must deal with the smaller dog moving in on his owner, Sage, plus all of his belongings. Thunder will have to find a way to deal with this visitor! Kiddo loved it and will be seeking out the first book, too.

Wagnificent a New Dog in the Den is the sequel to an adorable series featuring dog owner, Sage, Thunder. This installment has added Byron, unwelcomely to the mix or should I say den?


Thunder loves being Sage’s one and only. One day Sage helps a friend by pet sitting Byron a small fluffy dog who thinks he’s a big dog in charge. This situation doesn’t go over well in the least little bit for Thunder. Suddenly things have gotten a lot more complicated. Byron doesn’t seem to know the pack rules: he's sleeping in Thunder's bed, eating out of her bowl, playing with her toys, and is even stealing love from her beloved Sage. 
Will Thunder find a way to get along with this unwelcome guest?

I love the cartoon panels entitled Thunder’s rules where he shows how she feels things should and should not be done, for example sharing and how to show you are in charge. Afterall this is how it was BEFORE BYRON!
Kids will love Thunder’s worry wind, a little poot out of the rear end when Thunder gets anxious.
I also loved the graphics that depict Thunder’s feelings, the wagometer and growlometer..
The use of color, light and dark and exaggerated expressions vividly convey the emotions and feelings of all characters.
This is definitely a book that will grab children’s attention and they will clamor for more adventures of Thunder and Sage.
I see this to be a popular long running series for Sage and Thunder and….. maybe even Byron if can learn some humbleness

I thought this was okay, but it could be good for any middle schooler wanting to learn more about dogs.

Thanks to NetGalley, the Publisher and Author for an eARC of the book for my review.

Wagnificent: a new dog in the den by Bethanie Murgia is a cute story of a girl and her dog, as told from the dog’s point of view. This is the second graphic novel in a new series that is easily readable as a stand alone, but also a wonderful continuation from the first book.

The story continues showing the often "punny" ways Thunder sees the world as well as their desire to make themselves and their pack leader happy. Unfortunately, a new dog has come to stay and lessons in sharing, jealousy, handling adversity in addition to appropriate vs inappropriate behavior are learned.

Overall it was an enjoyable read. Recommended for kids and families with dogs, fostering dogs or thinking about adopting dogs. The format and illustration style is beautiful and enhance the series greatly.

A sequel!!! I loved Wagnificent and leaped at a chance for more puns and more Thunder and more canine facts that I never knew! In this novel, Sage takes in a foster doggo for a friend and Thunder is not at best pleased with this intrusion into her territory. The two face off, but like most little dogs, Byron has a LARGE inner wolf who puffs himself up to be bigger than he is. I love how this novel captured small dog syndrome perfectly. I love that in addition to another dog to love, Sage and Thunder make a new human friend in Zia too.

What I loved most: the dogs, the puns and humor like snaccidents, the friendship between Zia and Sage, the inclusion of doggy norms vs dog to human norms, the information about the communication between dogs and dogs and dogs and humans, and that I learned about painted dogs and their sneezing (to signal they are ready to hunt), and dholes and their whistling and coyotes and their... poop.

I hope we get to have more adventures of Sage and Thunder as they make me smile.

Thank you to @Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and @NetGalley for the ARC. I loved the first book in this series and the second was just as good. A new dog has come to stay and poor Thunder has to share his friend Sage. Listening and seeing Thunder point a view is the best, he is so cute. A must for my school Library.

This was an advanced reader copy I received in exchange for my honest review. This graphic novel was soooo cute! As a dog-lover, this warmed my heart and even gave me valuable insight into my pup's language and perspective. This installment was the second in a new series (now I have to check out book 1!) and as a reader, I was able to jump right in. Thunder is loveable and sweet; she just made me gush over how she handled the adversity of "a new dog in the den." I thought the illustration style was beautiful and engaging. The storyline provided a solid story arc that came to a satisfying resolution. I especially liked the chapter dividers where Thunder detailed her rules for navigating the human world vs. dog world. It was so cute overall, and I really look forward to catching up in the series as well as looking out for future works.

A cute story about a dog finding a forever home and finding love. Thunder learns how to accept a new dog in the pack. Kids will enjoy the illustrations and the story.

I loved the first Wagnificent book. I made sure to get a copy for our library when it came out. It is just a fun book.

So, I was super excited to continue the journey with Thunder aka "Thunderpaws". I love how the author points out that every person Thunder sees is a "new friend". This book is about meeting new friends. Whether they are dogs or humans.

Worry wind cracked me up. My dogs love snaccidents too. Love the "wagometer". There are so many cute pictures and words.

I enjoyed reading the "More InFURmation" section. It is a great way to understand how dogs communicate with eachother and with humans. I agree it is like they have to learn two languages and ways to act.

I will be adding this to our library when it is published!!! Thanks