School Library Journal11/01/2013
Gr 4–6—Otto, 11, pleads with his mother for a dog, while his sister, Lexi, 12, is insistent on getting a cat. The siblings go to extremes in making their case of why they should get their choice of pet; their mother wants to know who will pay for everything. Lexi takes a more practical approach in her efforts to get a cat, earning money by tutoring her peers, making charts, and educating herself on what having a cat entails. With Otto's zany methods, high jinks ensue throughout the story. He consistently comes up with new schemes from car washing to selling apples to dog walking to make money. These ideas usually end in disaster and costing him money. The children learn that being responsible is not always fun, or easy.
