Elvis and the Underdogs

Description

Benji Wendell Barnsworth is a small ten-year-old boy with a big personality. Born premature, Benji is sickly and accident prone and has a tendency to faint-a lot. He's at the hospital so often, he even has his own punch card. That is, until the day Benji wakes up from a particularly bad spell. Concerned for Benji's health, the doctor offers him two options: wear the world's ugliest padded helmet or get a therapy dog. Benji chooses the dog, of course. But when a massive crate arrives at Benji's house, out walks a two hundred-pound Newfoundland. And that isn't even the strangest thing about the dog. He announces that his name is Parker Elvis Pembroke IV. That's right, this dog can talk! And boy, is he bossy. Having a bossy dog can come in handy, though. Elvis brings out the dog lover in the most surprising people and shows Benji that making new friends may not be as scary as he once thought. From a fresh new voice comes the hilarious and poignant story about the importance of finding your own pack.

Jenny Lee is a writer and producer on the new ABC Family sitcom Young & Hungry. She was also a writer and producer of the TBS sitcom Ground Floor and the Disney Channel's number-one-rated kids' show Shake It Up for all three seasons. The author of four humor essay books, Jenny is also the author of Elvis and the Underdogs. She lives in Los Angeles with her 110-pound Newfoundland, Doozy (and yes, it's a toss-up on who's walking whom every day).

"A lighthearted enjoyable read." -- School Library Journal (starred review) "A funny, unabashedly feel-good boy-and-dog story. . . . This crowd-pleasing debut is definitely ready for prime time." -- Booklist (starred review) "This children's book debut from Lee, a writer and producer on Disney's 'Shake It Up' sitcom (and clearly a dog lover), is suffused with optimism." -- Publishers Weekly "That Elvis is a dog of dogs: the smartest, the bravest, the funniest. Also, the biggest. No wonder Benji's adventures with him are hilarious and action-packed! Such a very fun read." -- Emily Jenkins, author of INVISIBLE INKLING and TOYS GO OUT "It's impossible not to fall in love with Elvis and Benji. And here I thought I was the only person who actually had conversations with his dog..." -- Chris Rylander, author of THE FOURTH STALL