It's the first day of school, and cat Peachy is finally old enough to join Happy Tails School's student newspaper.When Peachy finds out the paper has been shuttered, she's devastated. How will she fulfill her dream of being a star reporter? Principal Trunx, an elephant (obviously), tells her no one reads the paper anymore; they're focused on their phones (Chimpstagram is quite popular). Peachy comes up with a brilliant idea: she'll start a digital magazine her classmates can read on their (bizarrely named) PinePhones. However, there's a caveat—school rules require all clubs to have at least six members. So far, it's just Peachy and her best friend fur-ever, Keen, a perpetually hungry pup who's fond of wearing costumes to school, so the two set out to recruit members for Purrfect9. To Peachy's dismay, Keen makes false promises—free gold and red-carpet access—to gain members, but fortunately, their recruits stick around. It looks like Peachy's dream is coming true, but when Keen publishes a cartoon that perfectionist Peachy didn't approve, their friendship—and Purrfect9's fate—is put to the test. Puns, irony, and wordplay make up much of the third-person narration; the full-color spot art is Saturday morning cartoon-cute. The plot and concepts feel very middle school, at odds with the low page count and young look.Doesn't rise to the top of the school-and-friendship barrel. (Fiction. 5-9)

Gr 2-4 Peachy, a cat, and her friend, Keen, a tiny dog who likes to dress up in costumes, want to bring back the defunct school newspaper as a digital publication to fulfill Peachy's lifelong dream of becoming a reporter. Principal Trunx, a grumpy elephant, is against it all the way. But after finding the required minimum of six members, Peachy and Keen have trouble meeting the other school requirement for extracurricular clubs: a faculty advisor. The team launches their first online publication in just a week. Keen decides at the last minute to include a potentially mean cartoon about the school janitor, Rocco, without the knowledge of Peachy, the editor-in-chief. Peachy is sure they are going to be in big trouble, but Rocco loves the cartoon and agrees to become the Purrfect9 faculty advisor. Colorful, energetic, and abundant digital illustrations help to break up the text and move the story along. VERDICT With a growing number of semi-realistic story lines starring highly anthropomorphized characters, Peachy and Keen will find an audience among young independent readers who enjoy contemporary cartoons.Lindsay Persohn, University of South Florida, Tampa and Polk County Public Schools