Perfectly Martha (by Susan Meddaugh)

Martha, the alphabet soup talking dog, is suspicious of Otis Weaselcraft, owner of the Perfect Pup Institute. His Three-Step Training Program turns fun-loving, flea-scratching dogs into perfectly behaved, robo-dogs and Martha sets out to discover how. Kidnapped by Weaselcraft's assistant, Dr. Pablum, when he overhears her speaking, Martha suddenly finds herself on the inside of the institute.

There she discovers that Weaselcraft is attaching Robo Rover Brain Blocker microchips to the inside of the dogs' collars. Martha bribes Dr. Pablum to plant a microchip on the collar of Otis Weaselcraft and then she puts Weaselcraft through his own series of obedience commands, thus exposing his dastardly scam. With the microchips removed, all of the dogs revert to their adorably pesky selves.

This is the sixth in Meddaugh's series of Martha books that began with Martha Speaks which was named a New York Times Best Illustrated Book in 1992. She has maintained her high standard throughout the series with lively, deadpan hilarious, watercolor illustrations, snappy dialogue, cartoon bubble wisecrack commentary, and clever story lines. This latest adventure is as fresh and entertaining as the first.

Author: Susan Meddaugh
Illustrator: Susan Meddaugh
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Children's Books
Publication date: April 17, 2004
Number of pages: 32
Hardcover price: $15.00