Benji has had health
issues since he was born, and he's missed a lot of school over the years. When he is at school, he gets picked on by the biggest bully. One day trying to
avoid the bully, Benji has a seizure in the hallway. Although he can't remember
a thing about what happened, the doctors tell him they're not sure what caused
it, and tell him that he must wear a large helmet to protect himself. Benji begs for
a service animal who can detect seizures instead, but his wish doesn’t come
true, until a bad situation with the helmet makes his mom see the light. What a
surprise when his service animal arrives, and it’s the biggest dog he's ever
seen in his life. Not only that, but the dog, Elvis, speaks perfect English. At
first Benji thinks he hit his head harder than they had thought, but he soon
realizes that Elvis is just special. Unfortunately, it turns out that Elvis belongs
to the President of the United States, and the service dogs got mixed up. Benji
and Elvis will only be together a week. Will Elvis be able to help Benji? What will the kids at school think when Benji
shows up with the biggest dog ever? Read
this funny book to find out!
Elvis and the Underdogs by Jenny Lee is a great book for kids who feel
a little different. I felt bad for Benji that he had so many health problems,
and that he spends more time in the hospital than he does at school. It's also
sad when someone doesn’t have any friends. It was wonderful to see the
relationship between Elvis and Benji. It would be amazing to talk to a dog and
see what they thought about everything, so I was a little jealous! I loved
seeing the way Benji grew during the story, and the unexpected way he got to
know some of the other kids in his class. I recommend this book to kids in grades 3-6 who like animals and enjoy
characters with a quirky sense of humor.
Has anyone else read Elvis and the
Underdogs? Or have you read another book by Jenny Lee? We'd love to hear your thoughts!
Happy Reading!
~L
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