School Library Journal Starred Review (Sat Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2016)

Gr 1-3 Meet Pug. He lives with his best friend, Lady Miranda; her housekeeper; and two running footmen. Today, the two friends have been invited to go pedal boating. Lady Miranda dubs her canine pal Captain Pug. Being terrified of water, the dog isn't so thrilled. Soon Pug gets separated from Lady Miranda before he can become a real captain. He ends up on the adventure of his life, which involves picnic baskets, a bus, a rowing team, and even a girl in a dinghy. Meanwhile, Lady Miranda and her footmen are desperate to find Pug and look high and low to find him. Pug is a fun, engaging character, while Lady Miranda is caring and will remind young readers of Fancy Nancy and Eloise. The plot is simple but humorous. The text and illustrations are well balanced and will encourage children transitioning to chapter books. The illustrations are detailed and complement the text, adding depth and humor to the story. VERDICT Fans of dogs and animal adventures will have a hard time putting this one down.— Kira Moody, Whitmore Public Library, Salt Lake City

ALA Booklist (Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 CST 2017)

Pug ahoy! Lady Miranda has a birthday party to attend at the boating lake, and she never goes anywhere without her faithful pug. Fortunately, she has a dog-sized sailor suit that is perfect for the occasion. Unfortunately, Pug is afraid of the water and isn't looking forward to the party one bit. Once at the lake, Pug takes advantage of a distraction to get away from the docks and investigate the contents of a nearby picnic basket to which he tumbles and becomes an unwitting stowaway. Before long, he is carried far from Lady Miranda and must bravely find his way back to her, encountering frightening situations and several tasty snacks along the way. This charming chapter book will delight young readers ready to tackle longer stories. The breezy tone and adventurous plot will keep the pages turning, while comical illustrations cented with blue and red d to the fun. This playful story is sure to make a splash with fans of Alex T. Smith's Claude books or Kate DiCamillo's Mercy Watson series.

Kirkus Reviews

Pug and Lady Miranda have a seafaring adventure…in a manner of speaking.Lady Miranda, who lives at No. 10, The Crescent, has a birthday party to attend at the boating lake according to Wendy, the housekeeper. Lady Miranda decides that Pug will attend in a captain's uniform; though Pug would rather stay home and eat jam tarts, he wants to please Lady Miranda. Running Footman Will and Running Footman Liam, dressed in their old-fashioned costumes, carry Lady Miranda and Capt. Pug to the lake in a sedan chair. Due to an enticing picnic basket that harbors the possibility of more jam tarts, Capt. Pug finds himself separated from Lady Miranda. He formulates a brilliant plan to reunite with her: become such a famous sea captain that she'll hear about him and find him. But first he must overcome his fear of water! James' ostentatiously English debut and series starter offers likable characters in sweet, devoted, and clueless Pug and his privileged young white mistress (no parents in evidence here); their silly, simple adventure is sure to please young Anglophiles (and pugophiles). French illustrator Ceulemans' plentiful, Eloise-esque, two-color illustrations are expressive and endearing. Just the ticket for children transitioning to chapters. (Fiction. 5-9)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

A dog with a fear of the water reluctantly embarks on an aquatic misadventure. Pug lives in a posh townhouse with his child guardian, the equally pampered Lady Miranda, where they gorge themselves on jam tarts and are attended to by footmen. A trip to the lake results in a series of unexpected diversions for Pug (whom Lady Miranda has dressed in a sea captain-s outfit), as he gets separated from his young mistress, helps a team of rowers win a race, and sets sail with another girl. Newcomer James creates a quirky, mixed-up setting (the tale is set in the present day, yet Lady Miranda-s footmen wear powdered wigs and cart her around in a sedan chair), and Ceulemans-s airy pen-and-ink drawings, accented with peach and bright blue, draw out the story-s physical comedy, particularly during a climactic helicopter rescue at the local swimming pool. Ages 6-9. (Mar.)