Taken as a whole, the Peachey family can be pretty obnoxious. Pa is fearful, unreasonable, and stubborn. Ollie is a lonely, argumentative teen in search of a girlfriend, and his older sister, Ava, is fixated on philosophy. Luckily, their younger sister, Betty, is a good-natured girl, and Ma Peachey is sensible. Otherwise, McTavish, a highly skilled "rescue dog," might have given up on saving this family soon after he adopted them. Instead, he saves their vacation--a camping trip--from sure disaster. How? He encourages singing around the campfire by howling loudly, and he cleverly engineers a family hike up the mountain by getting "lost" and staying ahead of them on the trail. With generous margins, wide-spaced lines of type, and 10 enjoyable gray-scale illustrations created in mixed media and collage, the book has an inviting look. Versatile writer Meg Rosoff shows her lighter side in the ever-amusing McTavish series, which offers episodic stories featuring a memorable canine protagonist and a believably flawed family in need of his help. An appealing choice for early chapter-book readers.

McTavish returns to save the Peachey family from themselves, living up to his description as a "rescue" dog. In series opener Good Dog, McTavish (2018), the sandy-colored terrier brought a family back from the brink of disaster with sheer cleverness and good humor. In this second title, the role-reversal plot of the new dog training the family continues into summer vacation, as the Peacheys head to the Faraway Campsite. Ma Peachey is excited to head to the idyllic mountains, with flowering fields and a flowing river. But Pa Peachey sees ridiculous danger in the wilderness. Brother Ollie prefers a disco where he can meet girls. And Ava only wants to read German philosophers. Once again, young Betty, the most sensible of the bunch, is ignored by the complaining Peacheys, too selfish to notice the beauty around them. The grumpy family, depicted by Easton with dark hair, fair skin, and pointy noses, decides to pack up and return home--but where is McTavish? A game of hide-and-seek ensues, with the plucky pup staying just out of reach. McTavish is not leading them astray--he is providing them a perfect day experiencing the outdoors. This series has legs to stand on, with clean writing, grayscale illustrations that gently move the action forward, and lovable yet flawed characters needing redemption. Fans will be panting for more. A clearly entertaining read-aloud or read-alone for dog lovers. (Fiction. 7-10) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.