ROTTEN, by Michael Northrop

The story: this is the story of a boy and his dog. But he's not just any boy, and it's not just any dog. JD has just finished up a stint in Juvie, and his mom hopes a dog will help him move past a really rotten time in his life--because JD's not the only one who's had a rotten time. Johnny Rotten is a shelter dog, abused by his former master, and this seems like a chance for both of them to move on...until the rescued Rottweiler is provoked into biting someone. Now it looks like he's going to be put down, right before JD and his mom lose everything in the accompanying lawsuit. How can a former juvenile delinquent talk the rest of the world into trusting him--and his dog?

June Cleaver's bloom ratings: Violence PG; language PG-13; Sexual Content PG-13 (nothing close to explicit, but lots of jokes with innuendo); nudity G; Magic and the Occult G; LGBT content PG; Substance Abuse PG-13 (underage kids don't actually score any liquor, but they do their best trying); Overall Rating: PG-13.

Liz's comments: don't hand this one to a sixth grader--they'll get all these kinds of ideas on their own in a couple of years, and there's no use getting them started early! In all, I'd review this for 8th and up, mostly because although the boys talk all bad, they don't actually get very far with it. And there's significant hope for JD to turn over a new leaf by the end of the book, under the influence of both Johnny Rotten and the girl who almost gets away.