Jet Set Pets: Hop on board! by Maddy Mara & Kyla May

This second book in new series Jet Set Pets follows the glamorous life of Violet and her three pets (Trixie, Jerome and Zola). They fly about the world in their fabulous Pet Jet, which Violet pilots. Each book has three short stories, each one separated into chapters and contains black-and-white pictures on nearly every page. Large text, plenty of white space and simple vocabulary make this a perfect series for newly independent readers and the content and themes will satisfy a wide spread of ages, making it great for older reluctant readers. 

There is nothing real about the world that Violet lives in; her pets talk to her, (and can fly her plane), there isn't a parent in sight and they do things like attend friendship ceremonies on yachts. Fans of Gabby's Dollhouse and The Princess in Black will feel right at home in this fantasy land of Violet's. For those who don't know, Maddy Mara is the penname of writing duo Hilary Rogers and Meredith Badger who also wrote Itty Bitty Kitty. Kyla May's illustrations are wonderful and the series will also appeal to fans of her series Paris Takes Over the World and Diary of a Pug. 

The characters are unique and vibrant, the settings and descriptive language is rich and the dialogue and relationships between the four are humorous and entertaining. Children will especially love Zola, who talks only in rhyme (faint is hood = paint is good). The stories in this instalment are about a stunt plane competition in Japan, the mystery of an egg thief in France and saving the day at a friendship party at sea. 

Themes: Friendship, Adventure, Problem solving.

Nicole Nelson