ALA Booklist (Thu Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2012)

In Hest's Remembering Mrs. Rossi (2007), readers met Annie Rossi, who had just lost her mother. Now, a year later, the fourth-grader and her father are doing better, helped by the presence of their new dog, Leo. Taking a page from the Wimpy Kid sketchbook, Hest does a charming job making Annie (and Leo!) come alive through a series of letters and drawings she makes for the dog. Leo gets to hear about how Annie doesn't care for her new teacher, how she loves her third-grade teacher, how poetry can make you feel surprising things, what it's like to have a best friend move away, and how to deal with her dad, who doesn't get out much (perhaps that third-grade teacher is the answer). Ready-made for reluctant readers, who will be enticed by the art-heavy format and the short bursts of text, this book will also be a good choice for fans of Sara Pennypacker's Clementine series or Megan McDonald's Judy Moody books.

Horn Book (Thu Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2012)

Fourth-grader Annie, (Remembering Mrs. Rossi), is still adjusting to life after her mother's death. She gets a dog, Leo, and writes letters to him, journal-style, much like the late Mrs. Rossi's students wrote letters to Annie. Illustrated with doodles and lists, the letters allow her time to reflect and heal. Readers will enjoy watching Annie grow as a friend and a daughter.

Kirkus Reviews (Tue Feb 28 00:00:00 CST 2023)

Annie introduces new dog Leo to the Rossi household in a letter of welcome and decides to keep writing, and reading, secret letters to him. Youngsters who first met Annie in Remembering Mrs. Rossi (2007) will see that she is coming to terms with her mother's death. Episodes throughout her fourth-grade year are recounted in Annie's infectiously exuberant voice. The letters, interspersed with lists, rules, assignments and plenty of pencil drawings and doodles, will keep children, even reluctant readers, eagerly flipping the pages. Resilient Annie finds comfort with Leo: When she snuggles and reads her letters to him, Annie remembers her mother reading to her. Sometimes, in missives sure to have children giggling, Annie has to instruct Leo on how to be a Model Citizen by minding his elevator manners and not stealing slippers. Mostly, she shares her trials, revealing her annoyance with classmate Edward Noble; tribulations, outlining four school catastrophes in one day; and triumphs, expressing her excitement about favorite teacher Miss Meadows coming to visit the Rossis--after all, Annie's father needs a new friend…. With that last tidbit dangling, the author leaves readers begging for another installment about the Rossis. In Annie, readers will find a perfectly imperfect Model Citizen, a loving daughter and good friend--in other words, someone a lot like them. (Fiction. 8-12)

School Library Journal

Gr 2-4 Annie, first introduced to readers in Remembering Mrs. Rossi (Candlewick, 2007), lives with her dad in New York City and is now in fourth grade. Her new best friend, a floppy-haired puppy named Leo, is helping her cope with schoolwork, an icky boy, and a best friend who is moving away. She writes letters to him, and reads them to him at night. Through them, readers learn about her hopes and sorrows, many of which revolve around her widowed father. The epistolary format makes for easily manageable reading segments, good for those kids for whom reading is a struggle. Upbeat and chirpy, and decorated with lots of kid-style illustrations, Leo evokes empathy with a light touch. Paula Willey, Baltimore County Public Library, Towson, MD