The hero of Letters to Leo, Annie, is an upbeat girl in Grade 4 who is quietly confident without being precocious, but as children of that age can often start to become she’s a little hard on herself sometimes, too. Amy is an independent, thoughtful soul and very observant of the people around her. In particular her observations of adult behaviour that perplex or frustrate her caught my attention. Her dad, for example, who has many anxieties and rules. We discover that the root of these anxieties is the death of Annie’s mother. The author handles this very well by neither dwelling on it nor glossing over its impact.

Annie’s sounding board is her new dog, Leo, to whom she writes the numerous letters that form the narrative of the story. She tells Leo her woes, but also frequently reminds him to behave impeccably because she really wants her dad to learn to love him. Eventually Leo works his way into his heart, and for Amy there is the added bonus of her beloved third-grade teacher becoming more involved in her life.

This is a great combination of easy-to-read and lots to think about. For ages 9+.

Emily Gale is the Online Children’s Book Specialist.