Zelly is back and so are Ace, her Grandpa and Ace, her dog, in another rollicking adventure by author Erica S. Perl. Zelly finally got her dog at the end of Perl’s first book in the series, When Life Gives You O.J. But, as the title of this book implies, Ace-the-dog is wild. So wild, in fact, that he is the one stumbling block to Zelly’s current heart’s desire: having a sleepover at her home. It seems that every time a classmate has a sleepover, Zelly is not invited. Why? Apparently, it’s because she hasn’t invited the girls to a sleepover at her house yet. But her mother has made it very clear — no sleepover until Ace-the-dog passes obedience school.
Zelly takes her dog to the required training sessions with the only person available to accompany her, her grandpa. But Ace-the-grandpa creates even more mishegas when he decides to start dating again, despite his doctor’s orders to take it easy. The tension mounts, as neither Ace-the-dog nor Ace-the-grandpa will listen to anything Zelly says. Will she ever get to have her sleepover?
Aces Wild is an entertaining book filled with the hilarious escapades of Zelly, her grandpa, and her dog. It is thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommend for ages 8 – 12.
Marcia Berneger is a retired teacher who lives with her husband and three crazy dogs. She taught both first and second grade, as well as special education. She currently teaches Torah school, in addition to her volunteer work in classrooms, libraries, and with various fundraisers. She lives in San Diego.
