Loudest Beagle on the Block

Pet Trouble #2

by Tui T. Sutherland

An exciting new series about those adorable pets that just won't behave--it's Marley & Me for middle-grade readers!

Ten-year-old Ella lives for music, and with the school talent show coming up, she doesn't have time for anything else. So when her aunt's beagle comes to live at her house, Ella doesn't think she has time for a dog -- especially when it turns out that every time the beagle hears music, she wants to sing along! And her voice is definitely NOT angelic. How is Ella supposed to win the talent show when all she can hear every time she rehearses is AAOOOWWAAAOOOOOO?

Genres: Animals, Dogs, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Childrens

176 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 1, 2009

About the author

Okay, I know what you’re thinking. Tui? What kind of name is that? Is it short for something?

Nope. Among the many great things to come out of New Zealand (the Lord of the Rings movies, cats that paint, my mom) is a bird called the tui—not as well known as the kiwi, but a heck of a lot noisier!

I was born July 31 (same birthday as Harry Potter!) in Caracas, Venezuela, and lived in Asuncion, Paraguay; Miami, Florida; and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, before moving to New Jersey in high school, where I started doing theatre—mostly backstage work, because (a) it was fun, and (b) you got to hang out in the dark with cute boys. (Er, I mean . . . because it was artistically fulfilling, yes.)

I graduated from Williams College in ’98 and I currently live in Boston with my husband, my perfect new baby, and my adorable yoodle Sunshine (what’s a yoodle? A puppy that’s three-quarters poodle and one-quarter Yorkshire terrier, of course!).

Much to my parents’ relief, I abandoned my theatrical aspirations after college for the far more stable and lucrative career of fiction writing.

My first two official books were beginning readers, part of Grosset & Dunlap’s “First Friends” series for kids learning to read. MEET MO AND ELLA is tough to find now, but FUN WITH MO AND ELLA should still be out there somewhere.

My first novel for teenagers was THIS MUST BE LOVE, which retells Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream in a modern-day high school, from the POV of the two heroines, Hermia and Helena.

And now I'm writing in a new project called SEEKERS! It's a children's book series that I'm writing with Erin Hunter. Check out my blog to find out more!

Reviews

[Adonica · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son and I LOVE these books!

[Addison Zizkovsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the Loudest Beagle on the Block. The main characters are Trumpet. Trumpet is a dog, he has a secret that you need to find out. Every time Ell want to sing or play the piano Ell get interrupted by the dog how will Ell practices for her talent show in 3 weeks.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

An 11 year old girl named Ella gets a new dog named Trumpet, but this dog has a problem. Trumpet barks whenever you sing and everytime Ella starts to sing trumpet would bark. She also had to practice for the talent show.

I loved this book I thought it related to me a lot in some ways like i read it on the fourth day of school and it was her 4th day of school ironic right.

I would recommend this to everyone who loves to laugh and anyone who loves to read and really enjoys books.

[Mary Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ella is a young girl in 6th grade who spends all her time practicing....practicing singing and piano so that she can one day be famous like her great aunt the opera singer. When her great aunt passes away she is left a dog....a beagle named Trumpet. Every time she tries to practice her singing the dog sings along with her and it aggravates her and her mom very much, but there are some side benefits to having this dog....friends.

[Carly · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far i think that this book is really good because i love dogs and this book is at my reading level.

[Anneke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Howl on.

[Patricia Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came across this book in an unusual way. I'm sure I wouldn't have picked it up otherwise. I'm a huge fan of the singer Sarah Brightman, and did a search for her in the book category of Amazon. There were few results, but I was surprised to find a children's book (this one) that mentioned her several times. This is a very cute little story about a girl named Ella who inherits a music-loving beagle named Trumpet from her aunt, who was an opera star. Ella is rehearsing for a talent show and becomes frustrated because every time she tries to sing Trumpet keeps joining in and howling. It so happens that Sarah Brightman is one of Ella's most favorite singers. I liked the message in the book that while people might consider her weird for not liking popular singers like Rihanna and Miley Cyrus, there is nothing wrong with loving music that isn't "mainstream" and you shouldn't change what you enjoy to please others. Not only is this a funny story that teaches good lessons, it also might lead the target audience, most of whom probably haven't heard of Sarah Brightman (or Charlotte Church, who is also mentioned), to discover some beautiful music.

[Christine Rains · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ella puts her music before everything else. She's going to be a big Broadway star one day, after all. Yet when her Aunt Golda leaves her a beagle in her will, Ella finds that her future might be in jeopardy. Every time she tries to practice her singing, the beagle sings along with her! How can she perfect her songs that way? Ella soon realizes that maybe music isn't the most important thing in the world.

This is the second book in the middle grade series, Pet Trouble. I'm reading this series with my nine-year-old son and we're both loving it. We liked this second book even more than the first. It's funny, entertaining, and realistic in the lessons the kids learn. What my son liked the most is that this story is happening alongside at the same time as the first book. All the books in the series are linked together that way, and so all the familiar characters are there. You get all their stories.

[The · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny

[yatty]

its really funny and i just love this book

[Tahlia]

Super funny, good book would read again

[Sera Hanagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The series Pet Trouble, Loudest Beagle on the Block by T.T Sutherland is an okay book. It had its ups and downs. The bad parts where that there where some confusing parts that I had to read out loud to understand, so that made it take a little longer to read the book. The good parts was that it was about an underdog and that just makes the book a lot better. It is also about a beagle and every thing that the beagle does is what a beagle will actually do.

This book is about a middle school girl who has no friends. The only thing that she really cares about is her music. Or that is what she thought until she got her new dog from her great-aunt. Her great-aunt died and she gave her a dog. The dog is adorable, but her family is definitly not prepared for it. When Ella, the girl, starts to practice her music the dog starts barking. That means Ella can't practice. If she doesn't practice than how is she supposed to win the talent show coming up. To see if she does get to participate in the talent show read the book.

I recomend this bookfor kids who like a good book but don't like long books. If you like reading books that show how an underdog shows that she can be more than an underdog nobody, then this is a book for you. Even if you don't like either of those types of books it is okay because you can still like it.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Ella inherits her great-aunt's beagle, Trumpet, she has mixed feelings about the dog's high-energy, face-licking greetings. It was nice to have someone always so incredibly happy to see her, but Trumpet was so wiggly! The big trouble, though, came at music practice. As a serious voice student, Ella practiced singing every day after school, and again after dinner. The trouble was that Trumpet thought she was a singer, too, and every time Ella sang, Trumpet howled. The louder Ella sang, the louder Trumpet howled. How could Ella practice?

It may be hard for kids in general to identify with Ella's vocal talents, but there are good themes of working hard for a goal, and the value of friends to help you achieve your goals. With a girl protagonist, girls are the more likely readers, but Trumpet is hilarious, lively entertainment if a boy reads the book.

This is the second book in a series of adventuresome dog books -- some more girlie than others. (See my reviews - Runaway Retriever (Pet Trouble), Mud-Puddle Poodle (Pet Trouble), Bulldog Won't Budge (Pet Trouble).) It is not necessary to read Runaway Retriever first, but it is fun if you do, because this book references the same kids and a few of the same events. Great for ages 9-12.

[Twyla · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite part was when finally ella became friends with her dog and her dog was kept. the problem with trumpet was she always howled when ella sang. then when she got all tired out or was still playing, trumpet didn't howl. the worst part was when ella's mother was about to sell trumpet to someone else who knows how to train and take care of a dog. my favorite character was trumpet, because she was cute, and at the talent show, helped them to win. there was no worst character in this book because at the end ella's mother said yes to keeping trumpet instead of giving her away. this book was mostly about ella's family inheriting a beagle named trumpet. trumpet howled each time she sang, so she could only practice at school or at lessons. the talent show at the school was coming up, and ella didn't get much practice, so her mother wanted to give trumpet away. when ella finally told her friends they came over and played trumpet out, then she could practice when trumpet was around. her friends gave her a great idea for the talent show, so she did it. it included 3 people, plus a special guest, trumpet. they ended up winning the talent show, and ella's family keeping trumpet. Auryn 11 years old, 50 minutes into new year!

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute. Good book for someone who is beginning chapter books. No hard words that I could see, and a good story about how animals can make a difference, positive training techniques, and making friends. Ella is always playing the piano and practicing, so she doesn't really have friends. When her great aunt dies, she leaves Ella a DOG!!! But Trumpet always sings when Ella does, making it difficult to prepare for the school talent show. However, Trumpet opens the way for Ella to make friends and organize a new song act for the talent show. It's a quick read of an adult, and would be a fun read-together. The setting is 6th grade in an elementary school and in Ella's home.

[Marlee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was cute and funny. I read it to my children, ages 5 and 8, who had previously listened to a different Pet Trouble book and really liked it. We didn't find this book as funny, but it was still enjoyable. It was a fun, easy read.

[Landy Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy all of these books because they're fun, creative, and cute. I like these books because of the characters and plot, (and everything else.) This is a total must read for people who like to read good things...

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun story, has a great moral for kids & parents.

[Anna ♥☻☺♫♪ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is going to be a good book once i finish it i cant wait to see what happens to the dog!!!!!♥♥♥♥♥

[Mariad · Rating 5 out of 5]

i loved this book

[Regina Hartwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

i thought it was a good book and it was funny to when she plays the piano the dog Trumpet will howl and the girl Ella put trumpet in the bathroom and the dog was biting on the toilet paper

[Gage]

i liked it

[Gideon · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it!


must be a loud beagle!!!!!!!!

[Sophierawrz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a cute book. I read this quite some time ago (about 4 years ago), but from what I remember, I really liked it. It was a quick read and very entertaining.

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was kind of an annoying story at the beginning, but I loved it by the time I finished it.

[Katie]

Not that great as te others, not that much into music, but the end was pretty cute!