Representation: Black characters
Trigger warnings: Bullying, near-death experience
Score: Six points out of ten.
This review can also be found on The StoryGraph.

Well. I found this in one of the two libraries I go to and I immediately picked it up but this is a special case where one library has this but the other wouldn't accept it due to two reasons, the content inside and that library has a filter and this would violate it. Now that I said that I noticed this was part of a series but I won't rush to finish it off considering I didn't enjoy this one at times which makes me not want to reread it either. The novel starts with the main character Frankie Jude Bryant or Frankie for short who lives a typical life right up until some catastrophic events happen for no reason at first glance until Frankie is sent to some place. Oh and there's gremlins here. Really. Frankie is then declared The Dog Knight by a bunch of dogs (weird, I know, but this is a fantasy novel after all) and Frankie now must take some tests to be an what I would call official Dog Knight which takes place throughout most of the book but especially the middle. The pacing was slow during this part but that let me explore who Frankie is as a person and also the antagonist got some character development as well which I liked. What I didn't like however was most of the characters, I couldn't connect to them for some reason but it might have to do with the way they are written and Frankie is hard to read at times since the book tells me Frankie is a specific gender and likes to tell me that again and again (I get it! You don't have to shove that message into me for so many times.) Also the shouting and loud dialogue and the time when Frankie admitted to disrespecting people? Irritating. I think Frankie also has character development to become a better person by overcoming things like bullying and becoming the official Dog Knight after passing all the tests which I enjoyed reading. The ending is a high note. Wow. The dogs were intriguing and likable I suppose. ( )

Frankie, whose preferred pronouns are they, them, and their—despite her schoolmates who still refer to them as she—is a drummer in the school band. Their mother and they go shopping for an outfit to wear at an upcoming band concert. Frankie, at first reluctantly tries on a dress at the mall, but thinks, “it doesn’t feel right. It doesn’t feel like me.” After shopping Frankie consoles themself by looking at the puppies in the pet store window while her mother is eating at a nearby table. Frankie would love to have a dog, but Frankie’s mother is allergic to dogs. Suddenly, a large dog without a collar or leash appears barking at Frankie, thus alerting Frankie to imminent danger! An automobile suspended from the ceiling is breaking loose from its supports right over the table where Frankie’s mother is sitting. Frankie rushes to the rescue and saves mom! The car crashes atop the table, and the strange dog disappears.

The next day when Frankie is going to school a bully attacks them. The strange dog appears again, but this time the dog drags the unconscious Frankie though a portal into another dimension to the Omniversal Doghouse where Frankie is recruited by the members of the Pawtheon to save the universe from the forces of chaos and evil, as the Dog Knight, but first Frankie must undergo a series of trials to prove that they possess the six dog virtues of loyalty, kindness, honesty, justice, stubbornness, and smell. This will involve battling a number of malicious shadow creatures, demons, and the gremlins who attempted the attack on mom.

Scriptwriter Whitley, who also authored the series PrinceLess, is an expert at creating brave knights who are unafraid of stepping out of traditional female sex roles and persevere in their quests for justice. Indigo’s drawings and Capriglione’s colors bring out the whimsy as well as the adventure in this fantasy which is hopefully the start of a new series. ( )

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Netgalley. Content warning for depictions of transphobia, bullying, and animal cruelty.)

Middle schooler Frankie Bryant knows a lot about bullies. When they came out as nonbinary, Frankie told exactly two people: their mom Diane, and their best friend Dallas - who immediately outed them to the entire school. Now she joins in the "Freakie Frankie" chorus when her classmates mock her. Dallas's older brother Austin is even worse, upping the verbal abuse to physical threats and even assault, ultimately driving Frankie off the baseball team.

So when Frankie spots Austin and his friends taunting a Golden Retriever on their way home from school, they intervene. What was meant to be a heroic effort takes an embarrassing turn when Frankie trips on a tree root - and wakes up in an ornate mansion, surrounded by a pack of talking superhero dogs. They are the Pawtheon, and they suspect that Frankie might be their next Dog Knight, the one human meant to battle the forces of chaos (gremlins and shadows and such) alongside these super-pups. Frankie knows all this because they can communicate with the dogs, thanks to a magic, dog-eared helmet (the "helm").

Frankie must prove their merit by passing a series of trials, each designed to test the six dog virtues of loyalty, kindness, honesty, justice, stubbornness, and smell. But it won't be easy when the forces of evil are conspiring against them. Ditto: their mom's allergies.

THE DOG KNIGHT is a slightly silly, yet utterly charming and touching story about self-discovery, growing up, and doing what's right. In all their awkwardness and self-doubt (not to mention, moments of bravery and heroism) Frankie makes for an engaging protagonist. Their scenes with humans Sam and Nadia and canines Platinum and Good Dane are so delightful! The dogs, of course, threaten to steal the show, but Frankie more than holds their own.

There's so much to love here: talking dogs; a complex, human-canine backstory, complete with gremlins; a nonbinary, drum-playing, demon-slaying MC; a cross-fit-training, badass lawyer mom; a knight helmet with dog ears; a LGBTQ Cinderella moment - need I go on? The vibe does skew a little young for me, but it's perfect for the target demo of 9-12 years.

I do feel like Austin got of a little easy, but I understand the need to take the moral high ground in a book meant for middle schoolers.

Finally, if I had to pick one dog? Yorkshire Terror, if only because I've fostered a few Yorkies of my own (one of whom we nicknamed Tiny Terror). ( )