Meg Rosoff

"When Ma Peachey resigned from being a mother to take up yoga instead, the rest of the family took up being in crisis: no one cooked dinner, no one picked up the dirty laundry, and the children were always late for school. Ma might be off finding inner peace, but Pa Peachey, Ava, and Ollie are falling apart! Only almost-nine-year-old Betty is wise enough to know that the family needs to be rescued. Enter McTavish - a rescue dog on a mission to rescue...

"Pa Peachey has gotten it in his head that he is going to be the baker in the family, and the Peacheys and their dog, McTavish, are more than a little surprised. Stunned, in fact. Ever since Ma Peachey declared herself free of the cooking responsibilities, Betty, Ava, and Ollie have taken turns making inventive and delicious meals. But Pa thinks he can do better, even though his cakes are as flat as manhole covers and his cookies turn to charcoal....

"Orphaned as a child and sent to live among religious caretakers in Canada, Beck endures harsh labor and searches for love while traveling back and forth across the American border during the height of the Great Depression." --

It's summer, and the Peachey family is in crisis - again. Where will they go for their vacation? Betty Peachey thinks that camping is the best option, and Ma Peachey knows just the place. But Pa Peachey is convinced that nature is filled with terrible dangers, Ollie only wants to go if there's a dance club, and Ava would rather stay home and read German philosophy. Will rescue dog McTavish figure out how to turn the Peacheys into happy campers - and...

"When her dad gets a new job, which requires them to move, Betty is the only one who is not excited, but, with the help of her rescue dog McTavish, finds her worries eased and the confidence to feel at home again."--