The Poodle of Doom
The Pets Rule! series, Book 2
Susan Tan, illustrations by Wendy Tan Shiau Wei
Scholastic
Fiction, CH Action/Humor
Themes: Anthropomorphism, Avians, Canids, Cross-Genre, Diversity, Small Animals
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Description
Since arriving at the Chin household (ostensibly as a pet for the girl Lucy), Ember the rescue Chihuahua has worked single-mindedly toward his destiny: to rule the world as its evil overlord. He already has the loyalty of the other household pets, and is working on the rest of the neighborhood. When he hears that Lucy's grandmother Poh Poh is coming to visit with her pet poodle Fluffy, Ember hopes to find an ally. Instead he finds an enemy determined to destroy the world Ember hopes to rule.
Review
I normally don't read second entries in series before I read the first, but we had some down time at work today and this one was on top of the tote, and my audiobook for the day had already ended. I also have to admit that the title made me chuckle. (In the interest of full disclosure, I grew up knowing two Standard Poodles, one of which could definitely edge into "grumpy" territory.) So, I figured it was worth a quick read. It turned out to be a fun little adventure. Ember is a determined would-be overlord, but finds a cunning enemy in Fluffy, whose first evil act is trying to replace the chocolate chips in a batch of brownies with raisins. When Fluffy then turns on the terrifying dryer all by himself, and even spouts his own catchphrase, Ember realizes that he's underestimated the danger significantly... but his efforts to thwart Fluffy's foul plot are tripped up by his own inability to listen to his friends/minions. Yes, it's a silly story, but Ember learns important lessons and Fluffy's schemes had me chuckling, plus the illustrations were fun. It made for an enjoyable distraction.