A review by gwendolyn_kensinger
Pawcasso by Remy Lai

3.0

Pawcasso is a basket-toting dog who does his family’s grocery shopping on his own. When 11-year-old Jo is mistaken as his owner by a group of kids, she goes along with the lie in the hopes of making new friends. Soon the town becomes divided over whether Pawcasso should be allowed to roam free, and Jo worries that her lies will be exposed—and endanger Pawcasso and her new friendships.

Pawcasso was fun and the storytelling was great. It explored lies and how they are not always intentional but how they still have consequences that we may not be able to handle.The story culminates into a debate about whether dogs should be able to roam free or not without a leash or not. I thought it presented both sides fairly and explored the implications of both. The story provides an excellent lesson on the importance of being responsible and I thought the ending was quite endearing too. My only drawback for me was the lack of development about Jo’s dad and the big sister, little sister stuff between Jo and Tina. Still highly recommended.