Parents' Guide to

Welcome to Dog Beach

By Kate Pavao, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 9+

Tween girls learn to accept change in light summer read.

Welcome to Dog Beach Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

age 9+

Based on 1 parent review

age 9+

Very interesting for my tween nephew!!!

This book is very interesting for tweens, boys & girls alike. Totally awesome!!!

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
Great role models

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (2 ):

WELCOME TO DOG BEACH is a cute, pretty straightforward book about a smart tween learning to deal with change, including changing feelings as a friend becomes a first crush. The beach setting makes for a sweet and well-drawn backdrop, and the characters have realistic and age-appropriate struggles, such as a pet's death, moving, and a best bud who acts differently around a new friend.

Readers may be somewhat disappointed that, while the dog-sitting business is a part of the book, the dogs themselves only occasionally becomes more than a background for other social interactions or soul searching. Also, the author sort of hammers home the theme of the book -- "It's comfortable when things stay the same, but comfortable can also mean boring, and different can also mean exciting. It's all in the way you look at it" -- which readers may grow tired of. In the end, this book makes for a good but not groundbreaking read.

Book Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate