PAWS: Hazel Has Her Hands Full
by Nathan Fairbairn
Illustrated by Michele Assarasakorn
G.P. Putnam’s Sons
an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC
2025
176 pages
Color Illustrations
ISBN: 9780593695807
Book Four in the PAWS series follows twelve-year old Hazel who has moved from Toronto to Vancouver. At first, she was worried she wouldn’t be able to make friends or that some people might be mean to her, but she quickly makes friends with Gabby and Priya and later their friend Mindy. They happily welcome her to their PAWS group which stands for Pretty Awesome Walkers where the girls walk other people’s dogs for pay. Even though Hazel uses a wheelchair, she can use her legs but only for short distances due to her spinal muscular atrophy.
With school almost out for the summer, the girls share their summer plans. Gabby is in too many camps to count, Mindy must visit her father for a month and Priya doesn’t want to ride the bus twice a day to get to their clients’ houses. Hazel is on her own: no one can help her with PAWS. Her mother has made it clear she is only to walk dogs with others, never alone. When a cat sitting job presents itself, Hazel takes the gig and lies to her mother telling her Gabby is helping her. Hazel worries her mom will find out, but she’s too afraid to come clean.
Balancing walking the dogs while her friends are gone and cat sitting for her new clients, Hazel begins to get fatigued. She worries she got herself into a real mess. When the cats accidentally escape, Hazel turns to her friends and their families to help her search for them. One thing she knows for sure: In a crisis, people get together.
Highly recommended for fans of graphic novels and readers of the series. It is not necessary to read the first three books to understand book four; however, most readers may want to find the first three after reading Hazel Has Her Hands Full.
Grades 5 and up.
