One frosty night Marty’s dad shows her the amazing Dog Star with all its flashing colours. Marty thinks it is beautiful and tells him that she dreams about having a dog, one that she would call star with long silky hair and eyes the colour of midnight. Her dad has said no as their elderly cat, Tiggy, wouldn’t like a dog in the house. That night, the Dog Star’s twinkling light beams into her room, seeming to bring with it the dog that she has wished for. Then her dad, who is a widower, meets Miss Theresa Tree who has lost her dog. Marty’s older sister Claire is furious at the possibility of a stepmother. This is a lovely story in the first chapter book genre that deals sensitively with family issues. ( )

Will the Dog Star she glimpses one frosty night bring Marty and the family the happiness they long for? ( )