New Arrivals When I walked into my class, I saw kids gathered around a table. Some stood on their toes trying to peek over the ones in front of them. I put my backpack in my cubby and zoomed over to see what they were checking out.
“Aww, look at them,” Jada said. Simone crinkled her nose. Then she tilted her head from left to right, trying to figure out why other students were
oohing and
ahhing.
“I guess they’re kinda cute,” she said.
Three spotted frogs swam in an aquarium. One glided to the surface, floated for a few seconds, and then plunged back down. Everyone wanted to have a look.
“Class, class,” Miss Taylor said to get our attention.
“Yes, yes,” we responded.
“I know you’re excited,” she said. “But take your seats. After you finish your morning work, we’ll talk about our new arrivals.”
I grabbed a worksheet and smiled when I saw it was an animal word search. As I tried to find pets like
lizard,
guinea pig, and
parakeet, I started to feel a nagging ache. I asked my parents for a dog last year. The answer wasn’t exactly “no”—it was “not yet.” They said I had to show that I was more responsible first. But our class getting pets and doing this word search reminded me how much I really wanted a dog to call my own. I loved how they were loyal, fun, and always happy to see you. Having a dog would be like getting a special friend who was always there for me.
When we finished our worksheets, Miss Taylor hit the chime that signaled it was time for our morning meeting.
Chirr! Chirr! We scrambled onto the orange-and-blue carpet.
“I know you’ve already met your new classmates,” she said, smiling. Her bracelets jingled as she waved toward the aquarium. “They’re African dwarf frogs. Anyone have experience looking after a pet?”
More than half of my friends raised their hands: “I do! I do! I want to share, Miss Taylor!” They couldn’t wait to tell us what kind they had.
“I have a springer spaniel named Sunny,” Carson said. “She’s so smart. She can shake my hand, roll over, twirl in a circle.”
“I got a hamster for my birthday,” my best friend RJ said. “I love watching Herbie run on his wheel.”
“I have a tabby cat named Nicky,” Lena said. “Some people think cats like to be alone. Mine loves to cuddle.”
I stared at the carpet. Every time I heard about another pet, my heart sank. They sounded so cool. Why couldn’t I have a dog?
“Thanks so much for sharing stories about your pets,” Miss Taylor said. “Having an animal buddy is rewarding, but hard work. We’re going to celebrate our new friends by doing reports on them. You need to include their natural habitat, how to care for them as pets, and some fun facts.”
Usually, the mention of reports made us groan. But this one seemed like a hit. The room buzzed like it was time for recess.
Kyla raised her hand.
“Can I feed the frogs first?” she asked.
“We’re going to learn about our froggy friends before we start interacting with them,” Miss Taylor said. “After the reports, I’ll split up the duties. Everyone will have a turn.
“See this box?” she said, pointing to the colorful cube with the slot on top that sat near her desk. “Our first job is to come up with names for our pets. Please put your suggestions in and we’ll vote tomorrow.”
Some kids couldn’t wait. I heard
Junie,
Freddie, and
Lucy.
Bingo,
Bob, and
Bakari. I was excited about having frogs in our room, but my heart longed for a dog. How could I prove that I could handle having one?
At lunch, pets were the hot topic. While we waited in the cafeteria line for pizza, RJ asked Carson about Sunny.
“How long have you had her?” RJ said.
“Two years,” Carson said. “She’s like part of our family.”
“I know what you mean,” RJ said. “I can’t wait to get home and see what my hamster is up to.”
“You guys are lucky,” I said, and looked down.
“Why don’t you have a pet, Miles?” Carson asked.
“I want a dog. But my family doesn’t think I’m ready yet.”
RJ grimaced.
“That’s tough,” he said. “But maybe you can show them you are. That’s what I had to do to get my hamster.”
Hmm. I lifted my head and nodded to RJ. Maybe he was onto something. Last time I asked about a dog, I promised my parents that I would be responsible, but I didn’t exactly show it. I still forgot to make my bed sometimes and help clean up without being asked. Time to get to work.
I started thinking about what I could say to my mom, dad, and nana to plead my case. I’m on the honor roll. I play sports. I’m not the neatest, but I can get better at that. I can do extra chores around the house, too.
A plan started to form in my mind. I didn’t have a pet . . . yet. But things were starting to look up.
Dog of my dreams, I’m on my way!
Copyright © 2025 by Kelly Starling Lyons; Illustrated by Wayne Spencer. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
