Lulu and the Big Kaboodle
A jumpy pup. A nervous grandma. Can they get past howls of sadness to tail-wagging happiness?
Lulu was having misgivings. Because strange dogs had been mean to her before, she didn’t really like them. But she still decided to say yes when her little girl asked her to babysit a big, black, crazy puppy.
Accidentally letting the huge beast loose in her yard, Lulu worried everything was going to get wrecked. And after two days of mayhem, she knew the only way to make things okay was to become friends with the scary animal.
Could Lulu and the clumsy pup learn to love each other?
Lulu and the Big Kaboodle is the vocabulary-building first book in the Adventures with Lulu series for kids ages 7-12. If you or your child like fun wordplay, four-legged pals, and stories with a a Christian worldview, you’ll love Laura Blodgett’s action-packed sleepover.
Buy Lulu and the Big Kaboodle for some pawsome puzzle-solving today!
You can buy the hardback, paperback, or ebook and audiobook through Amazon by clicking here. You can also purchase the ebook directly from me here: Lulu and the Big Kaboodle ebook.
Or the audiobook read by me here: Lulu and the Big Kaboodle audiobook
What readers are saying:
SilverBodkin says “A story of perseverance – 11 yo: I like that it was based off real life. The puppies are my favorite part. Lulu has quite an adventure working to help keep the puppy safe.
12 yo: I love how energetic the puppy is and what it learns from Lulu taking care of it.
9 yo: I liked all the thoughts and decisions and choices, how Lulu tried so many things to figure out a solution. And when she couldn’t figure out what to do she asked other people for help.”
Wendy Haught says “Great family read-aloud – One of the best things about Lulu and the Big Kaboodle is that it is told from the perspective of an active grandmother within the context of a loving and supportive family. This is extremely rare in today’s publishing world and most welcome.
Lulu is a big-hearted grandmother with a difficult situation. She has agreed to keep her daughter’s enormous dog Kaboodle for a week, and Lulu is scared of big dogs. Not only is the daughter going on vacation but Lulu’s husband and son are going on a hunting trip. Lulu must face Kaboodle alone.
And she does so most admirably. I love how Lulu works to overcome her fears. She models courage, compassion, patience, and creative problem solving to achieve her goal of getting the skittish Kaboodle inside her house where she can be sure he will be safe.
Woven into the tale are the stories of Lulu’s past difficult encounters with dogs, but we also hear Kaboodle’s backstory too, so that we empathize with both of them.
An exciting story that will appeal to all ages, Lulu and the Big Kaboodle is an all-around winner.”
Tah-Tah, age 9, says “I thought this was a great book! I loved all the characters, especially Manly and Cupcake. I thought all the ways Lulu tried to get Kaboodle inside were so fun! I read the whole story very quickly, and I am excited for more books in the series.”
Christine Silk says “A charming story of a rescue dog and his new home –
Lulu and the Big Kaboodle is a charming story of an older woman named Lulu who is asked by her adult daughter to dog-sit a very large rescue dog named Kaboodle. Problem is, Kaboodle is an escape artist par excellence who simply will not allow Lulu to corral him into the house, no matter the weather, no matter how Lulu tries to tempt him with a delicious bowl of meat for dinner. Lulu is struggling with challenges of her own: Even though she is a dog owner of two very mellow dogs named Kiwi and Boomerang, she is afraid of Kaboodle because of his size and because his past is unknown (he is a rescue dog, after all). Worse yet, Lulu herself had been traumatized by some frightening encounters with not-so-nice dogs in the past, so she is definitely being pushed out of her comfort zone by having to dog-sit by herself for a large, strange dog whom she has had no time to get to know.
This story is aimed at older children, and it is going to have a lot of appeal for that age group. The setting itself is charming. Lulu raises chickens, and she has a thriving backyard garden that becomes the key area where she and her adult daughter are able to finally leash Kaboodle so that he can sleep indoors that night, instead of spending another night running loose in the yard outside. By the end of the book, Kaboodle and Lulu become good friends, and Lulu quietly celebrates her own triumph in overcoming her fear of this big dog.
One of my favorite aspects of this story is the innocence of the theme and the narrative stance. There is no preachiness, no fashionable Current Thing polemics that must be inculcated into young minds. It is simply a dog-lovers tale, told from the point-of-view of an older woman struggling with her own fears, trying to do her best to care for a lovable, rogue dog who had a difficult past. If you adore dogs, and if you’re looking for a story that is the opposite of the cynical and jaded edginess that constitutes a lot of young-adult literature these days, this story is worth checking out.”
Anemone Flynn says “This book was given to us as a gift.
My 11yo girl: I like it. It’s a good book series and it’s fun to read. In this book, Lulu has a big fear of dogs and she’s the one babysitting the big dog. I liked it when Lulu got the leash back on Kaboodle.
My 7yo girl: I think the names are really fun. Lulu has a fear of puppies and she has to babysit a big dog that Cupcake likes, but Lulu has a great fear of him. But to Lulu’s surprise he doesn’t bark or growl or snap or even jump up on her. I like it.
Lulu Faces a Debacle
A foreign country. An unexpected accident. Would a trip to a strange hospital end in chaos or become a fun memory?
Taiwan. Lulu had never felt so lost. Hoping it would be the hardest part of the day, the easily disoriented grandma struggled to make sense of the crowded Taipei train station. But after bravely navigating strange streets and chewing squid at the street market, her adventure came to a sudden halt when she crashed her bike.
Shocked to realize her mouth wasn’t working right, Lulu wondered how to communicate with a doctor who only spoke Mandarin Chinese. And though friends tried to help her, everyone seemed to be using a different language!
Could Lulu escape the chaos and figure out a way to get herself put back together?
Lulu Faces a Debacle is the lighthearted second book in the Adventures with Lulu series for ages 7-12. If you or your child like exploring other cultures, learning new words, and looking at life with a Biblical perspective, then you’ll love Laura Blodgett’s international antics.
Buy Lulu Faces a Debacle to exercise imagination today!
To buy on Amazon, click here: Lulu Faces a Debacle (paperback or hardback available)
To buy the ebook directly from me click here: Lulu Faces a Debacle ebook
To purchase the audiobook directly from me click here: Lulu Faces a Debacle audiobook
What readers are saying:
Tey-tey, age 9, says “I really enjoyed the character named Robot – he was funny! I also enjoyed that this story tells about some of the food in Taipei city, and that the book explained some of the more difficult words. The picture on the front of the book is so fun!”
Anemone Flynn says “This book was given to us as a gift.
My 11yo: It’s a fun and energetic book. Trapped in a railway station, Lulu can’t find her way out, and when she does she falls and breaks her cheekbone. When they go to the doctor, the doctors don’t speak English. I liked the part when she got better enough to eat.
Me: A true story about an adventure in Taiwan and the struggles of communicating about detailed and sensitive topics in a foreign country, this book illustrates problem solving, faith, and family support through a traumatic bicycle accident and the gradual progress back to full recovery. It includes footnote definitions for words that may be new to young readers and has an engaging cover and very helpful black and white illustrations inside. Although the subject matter may be a little scary, the book emphasizes hope, perseverance, and doing your best in the face of difficulties and doesn’t get too dark for the age bracket of 7-12 year old independent readers. It would also make a great read aloud for kids 4 & up, with its colorful descriptions of the author’s personal experiences of Taiwan and the sights and foods that can be found there.”
Carlie Cummings says “This is a fun, real world story with great vocabulary and lessons for all ages. The definitions at the bottom of most pages are a helpful reference. My girls, who rarely hold still, have been asking me to read this to them every day while they sit quietly and listen. Even the baby loves looking at the art!”