Lauren and her three BFFs find creative ways to help shelter dogs get adopted in this first installment of the relatable and empowering The Invincible Girls Club chapter book series—featuring backmatter with profiles on real-life animal activists! Lauren is a huge dog lover and is over-the-moon excited when she gets to go to the local shelter to read to the dogs. While there, she learns that the older dogs are often not adopted, so she and her friends set out to find them homes. Together, Lauren, Ruby, Myka, and Emelyn create a brilliant event, where attendees can eat delicious cupcakes while meeting adoptable dogs. But on the big day, it seems like everything goes upside down. Can the girls save the event and make sure their four-legged friends get a chance at their fur-ever homes? One of Rachele Alpine’s first jobs was at a library, but it didn’t last long, because all she did was hide in the third-floor stacks and read. Now she’s a little more careful about when and where she indulges her reading habit. Rachele is a high school English teacher by day, a wife and mother by night, and a writer during any time she can find in between. She lives in Cleveland, Ohio, where she writes middle grade and young adult novels. Visit her at RacheleAlpine.com. Addy Rivera Sonda has loved creating characters and worlds on paper ever since she was a little girl, as everything was always possible there. Drawing was her magic power! Her favorite place is any bookstore that has that old book smell. Aside from drawing, her favorite hobbies are doing projects with her sister, who is a toy designer, and watching old Argentinian soap operas. It inspires her to think that stories and art are slowly but surely changing the way people understand themselves and perceive others, building empathy and a more inclusive world. Chapter One: The Ulti-mutt Day 1 THE ULTI-MUTT DAY Today was the big day. The day I had waited for my entire life. I could hardly believe it, but I, Lauren Ellen Connors, was headed to the dog shelter. Yep, that’s right. I was Erie County Animal Shelter’s newest volunteer! This was a very big deal. I loved dogs. In fact, if there’s something greater than love, that’s what I felt toward dogs. Unfortunately, I couldn’t have a dog because my stepdad, Scott, was allergic to them. Actually, “allergic” wasn’t a strong enough word to describe what happened when he was around dogs or cats. His eyes became red and itchy, his face swelled up and got puffy, and he’d sneeze a million times. I felt bad for him, really I did, but I was also super bummed that I’d never know how awesome it was to grow up with a dog. Sure, Mom and Scott had tried to make up for it by letting me have the non-furry kinds of pets. I’d had three fish, a turtle, and a hermit crab, but it wasn’t the same. You can’t take a fish on a walk. A turtle will never play catch. And forget trying to snuggle up with a hermit crab. They pinch! “I’m doomed to a childhood without a dog, and I always thought that was the most heartbreaking story ever told,” I said to Mom as we drove to the shelter. “But now there’s a happy ending!” Once a week I was going to volunteer around the shelter, and then, the best part… I got to read to the dogs! The shelter had a program called Paws for Reading, which helped the dogs get used to people so that the dogs could find a forever home. Reading to them was a big responsibility. I had an important job to do. I played with the zipper on my backpack. While I was about to burst from excitement, I had to admit that I was also nervous. Would the dogs like me? Would I do a good enough job? What if I messed up and the shelter never wanted me back? Mom caught my eye in the rearview mirror, and it was as if she’d read my mind. “Relax, sweetie. The dogs will love you.” “Are you sure?” “Without a doubt. How could they resist you?” Mom’s words made me feel a bit better, and the bubbly nervous feeling inside calmed down as she turned into the shelter’s parking lot. I leaned forward to get a better look, but was hugely disappointed. The shelter wasn’t anything special at all. It was a normal boring concrete building with a few windows on the front and a chain-link fence. There was a small parking lot and a few signs letting everyone know it was the animal shelter. You’d think that a place that housed such awesomeness would be more spectacular. I’m talking a spotlight, glitter cannon, and fireworks. Oh well. People always say you can’t judge a book by its cover and it’s what’s inside that counts. And what could be better than a building full of dogs? Um, nothing! I jumped out of the car after Mom turned off the engine, and I spread my arms wide. “Hello, doggies! I can’t wait to meet you!” I shouted to the building. I heard someone giggle, and I spotted two of my best friends, Ruby and Emelyn, waiting for me on a bench. “Your big day has arrived!” Ruby announced. My friends were well aware of