SOURCE: A review of The Puppy Sister, in The New York Times Book Review, November 19, 1995, p. 37.

In the following review, Rodell declares that while The Puppy Sister is at times overly sentimental, it is appropriate for very young readers who will enjoy the fantasy and who will not be bothered by the implausibilities presented by the plot and characterization.

It's not easy to pull off the sort of real-life fantasy S. E. Hinton attempts in The Puppy Sister. She largely succeeds, and the book will no doubt delight young independent readers, but it has some big flaws.

Ms. Hinton is well known to many parents, who remember reading her gritty novels for adolescents, including The Outsiders and Rumble Fish. After a long silence, she recently shifted gears toward younger readers with a storybook, Big David, Little David. Both that book and The Puppy Sister bear the imprint of...