Abigail Iris: The Pet Project by Lisa Glatt and Suzanne Greenberg, illustrated by Joy Allen Ages 8-12 176 pages Walker Books March 2010 Hardcover     Abigail Iris returns in this new adventure, an almost-nine-year-old in a blended family of one sister and two half-brothers. Abigail’s two brothers live down the street with their mother and her new husband. Abigail lives with their dad, who also happens to be her dad, her mother, and her older sister, Victoria. Abigail’s three best friends are only children. She calls them “onlies” and sometimes envies them having their parents all to themselves. But mostly Abigail likes being a part of a big family and having brothers and sisters. The only thing she misses is having a pet. Today, Abigail’s goal is to convince her mother that she is old enough to have a pet. After much family discussion about responsibility, Abigail’s mother and father decide that she can adopt a kitten, and Spot becomes part of their family. Everyone in Abigail’s family likes Spot; her dad is especially fond of him because he reminds Dad of the kitten he had as a child. However, all is not perfect with Abigail’s pet project, because something is making Victoria sick and the family suspects that it may be Spot. What will they do if the family pet is the reason Victoria can’t get over her cold and congestion? The author brings the tale to a satisfactory conclusion while making the point that pets are not toys but rather another member of the family. This is a delightful story for the elementary age group and will be a treasured book by young readers.     web reviews   Joyce Rice/2010 for curled up with a good kid's book   For grown-up fiction, nonfiction and speculative fiction book reviews, visit our sister site Curled Up With a Good Book (www.curledup.com)