Seaglass Summer (review)

It's been Poppy Ray's dream to become a veterinarian, so she's thrilled to be able to spend the summer with her uncle Sanjay the vet on a Washington island while her parents visit family in India. Friendly, generous Uncle Sanjay is a wonderful host, but eleven-year-old Poppy begins to realize that veterinary practice is harder, messier, and more emotionally trying than she had anticipated—is it still right for her? The crash when dreams meet reality is a fit subject for exploration, and Poppy is believable as a kid discovering that her planned future of cuddling furry puppies all day isn't actually a possibility. Beyond that, though, the narrative is generally convenient and superficial: Poppy's friendship with the office manager's son, who works around the office, doesn't achieves the significance the characters give to it, and the cast of colorful island residents never really comes alive. Poppy's extensive hands-on involvement helps give a taste of the real work of a vet clinic, but especially in light of her credible ineptness, her considerable privilege and the customers' tolerance of it strain credulity. There are plenty of prospective vets in the young readership, though, and they'll find the story's premise appealing and appreciate Poppy's growth.