Madison’s New Buddy

Author Crystal Velasquez
Illustrator Yaffa Jaskoll
Originally Published © 2018 American Girl
ISBN 9781338114935
 

Opening Day Jitters

Madison Rosen twirls in front of the mirror in her room, her red hair fanning out around her. She’s wearing a bright yellow skirt, and a t-shirt with a labrador puppy on it. Her ensemble is completed with the kitten charm necklace her friends, Jasmine Arroyo, Keiko Hayashi, and Sofia Davis got her.

Madison is all dressed up for the reopening day of Rosa’s Refuge Animal Shelter. She and her friends helped the shelter raise money a few months ago so they could expand the shelter. When Madison’s mother calls her, she hurries down the stairs to see her kittens, Leo and Pepper, mewing for their lunch. The kittens are always hungry, and have been since Madison and her mom brought them home from the shelter a few months ago. Soon, they’ll be full-grown cats. Having them around, along with her new friends, made it easier for Madison to move into a new town and a new house.

When Madison and her mother finally reach the animal shelter, they find a big crowd gathered. Madison spots her new school principal, Mr. Brady, and her friends in the crowd. Madison goes over to greet her friends. Just then, Mrs. Wallace, the director of the animal shelter, appears below an arch of colorful balloons. She greets the crowd to cheers and applause, before she snips a red ribbon stretched in front of the shelter’s wide double-doors.

Everybody cheers and claps for the shelter. Then, they follow Mrs. Wallace inside to celebrate with cookies and lemonade. The new shelter is more beautiful than Madison even imagined. The walls are a soft baby blue with a play area in the back, and rows of new cages in front, most of them filled with dogs.

The girls run to the nearest cages. A scruffy terrier paws at the thin metal bars, and a border collie and beagle are yipping and whining in their cages. At the end of the row, a golden retriever puppy sits in the middle of his cage, with his eyes droopy and sad.

Mr. Brady comes up to join the girls, and sticks his finger between the bars of the golden retriever’s cage. The dog creeps away from him and shivers in fear. Madison points out to Jasmine that the puppy looks scared. Mrs. Wallace comes over, and tells the girls that the puppy, Buddy, was rescued from a home where he was being neglected. He’s nervous around people. A lot of new rescues are skittish and need time to become used to being handled by humans before they can be adopted.

Madison asks if there’s anything they can do for Buddy. Mrs. Wallace thinks for a moment, and then responds that dogs are social creatures, so being around volunteers like the girls will help. Jasmine and Madison agree they’ll all work together to help Buddy. Maybe they can read to the dogs to make them relax! Jasmine says their teachers always like it when students practice their reading.

Keiko and Sofia agree that’d be lots of fun. But Madison’s heart sinks. Reading is her least favorite thing to do at school. She has trouble reading. While it seems easy for everyone else, Madison has been seeing a reading specialist at school ever since she transferred. It still takes her a long time to read a single page. Now Buddy isn’t the only one feeling uncomfortable.

 

School Surprise

The next day at school, Jasmine takes the seat next to Madison in class and pulls out her notebook. Madison is so happy to have all her new friends in the same class as her. Although she’s still not entirely comfortable at school, especially in partner reading. She feels like it’s only a matter of time until the whole class knows about Madison’s struggles at reading, especially since their teacher, Ms. Chu, is always talking about reading.

After attendance, Ms. Chu explains they’re going to have an assignment to write about someone who inspires them. It can be anybody, and Madison’s head starts racing. She could research Amelia Earhart, Martin Luther King Jr., or Abraham Lincoln. Then Ms. Chu finishes by saying at the end of the project, they’ll all have to stand up in front of class and read their report out loud. And suddenly Madison’s heart jumps into her throat. They’ll have to read… out loud?

And then, it gets worse. Ms. Chu announces that in addition, the entire grade will be participating in a new program—the Shelter Dog Reading Project, suggested by Jasmine! Everybody in the class starts to chitter and chatter with excitement, except Madison. Now not only does Madison need to read in front of class, but she’ll have to do it at the shelter, too.

Ms. Chu puts a sign-up sheet on the white board at the front of the class. She says the Shelter Reading Project is volunteer-based, but everyone is encouraged to participate. Several kids in the class immediately spring up to volunteer.

Jasmine turns to her friends. This’ll be so exciting. They can all sign up together. Madison hesitantly says she’s not sure if she can do both her writing assignment and reading to the dogs. Keiko suggests she can do them at the same time. She can check out books from the library and bring them to the shelter to read.

Principal Brady sticks his head in the door. He says that not only is the Shelter Dog Reading Project a grade-wide program, but it’s also a competition! The class with the most volunteers will get a prize pizza party. Everyone goes wild with cheers, but Madison sighs. Now, refraining from signing up isn’t just letting her friends down, but it’s also letting down her entire class. She slowly rises from her chair and makes her way to the sign-up sheet. How is she going to keep her secret hidden from her friends?

 

A Stressful Secret

That Saturday, Madison meets her friends at the shelter as usual. They’re hanging out in the new grooming area helping Mrs. Wallace wash a Shetland sheepdog named Bandit. Mrs. Wallace hands Madison a flat brush to groom Bandit. Madison loves grooming. She pulls the brush gently through the dog’s black-and-brown fur. Madison coos at Bandit that he looks lovely; nothing like Stella did when she first arrived.

Madison looks at Stella, who is a Chow Chow who arrived with fur so flat from being out in the rain. But now, her hair poofs out in every direction, almost hiding her eyes and ears from view. She almost looks like a stuffed animal. Keiko pets Stella as she states that because she’s so beautiful, she’ll be adopted in no time. Sofia dreamily responds that hopefully she’ll be the one to adopt Stella. Sofia has been trying to encourage her parents to let her adopt a dog, to no avail.

Jasmine’s mother, Dr. Arroyo enters the room. She holds out her arms for Stella, and takes her into the back room to examine her ears.

The girls redirect their attention to the Shelter Dog Reading Project. At the mention of the reading, Madison sinks deeper into her chair. She hadn’t been giving it any thought at all. Keiko says she was thinking of reading Charlotte’s Web, but the ending may be a little sad. Sofia mentioned she was thinking about Shiloh. Jasmine piped up that she had her eye on Because of Winn-Dixie. The girls continue to go back and forth with book ideas. Finally, Keiko turns to Madison and asks if she has any ideas yet.

Madison shakes her head and silently turns back to brushing Bandit. She feels her cheeks turning red as she imagines them finding out her secret. What is Madison going to do? Bandit begins to squirm, forcing Madison to focus on making him sit.

Jasmine suggests that they can all go to the library to pick out a pick. They can take turns reading to each other to see how it sounds. Madison pictures herself standing up in front of class reading to her classmates, and imagines them pointing and laughing at her.

Jasmine notices Madison’s lack of focus, and asks if Madison is okay. She responds quickly that she’s fine, she just doesn’t feel well. She excuses herself from the room to get some water outside, and hurries all the way to the water cooler. Keeping this secret from her friends will be harder than she thought.

 

Friendship Advice

When school lets out, Madison follows the crowd to the exit, dragging her feet the whole way. The next day is when the Shelter Dog Reading Project is beginning, and everyone else is so excited about it, they’d been talking about it all day.

Madison is relieved to see her mom waiting outside on the sidewalk. She runs up to her mother and hugs her tightly. Her mom can guess that she had a rough day at school, and asks her about it as they begin the walk home.

Madison explains how everyone keeps talking about the reading project at the shelter, but she doesn’t feel ready to read in front of anyone. Her mom says that she’s sure Madison’s friends will understand. Madison guiltily says that she hasn’t told her friends yet. She’s afraid of what they’ll think.

Madison’s mom says she thinks her friends will be very supportive. Perhaps Madison’s mom can talk to Ms. Chu. She can explain Madison’s hesitations and let her know she won’t be participating.

Madison suddenly turns to stare up at her mom. That cannot happen! If she backs out, then the class won’t win the pizza party, and her friends are all counting on her! Madison can’t be the reason they lose!

Madison’s mom nods her head, and sits down on the front step of their house. She pats the ground and Madison sits next to her. As her mom holds her, she can’t help but let a few tears fall down her cheeks. Her mom suggests that in that case, maybe it’s time to tell her friends the truth.

Madison gasps. She can’t tell them that. She’d be so embarrassed! What if they make fun of her? What if they don’t want to be her friends anymore? Her mom explains that if they’re her real friends, that won’t happen. Madison knows her mom is right, but what if she’s wrong? What if her best friends aren’t there for her after they learn the truth?

The next morning, Madison feels a bit better. She vows to take her mom’s advice and tell her friends the truth that morning. But first, Madison goes to her bookshelf and picks up a book on top: Bunnicula, a story about a vampire rabbit. The narrator is actually a dog, and Madison thinks it’ll be the perfect story to read to the dogs. But, it won’t be easy for Madison to read.

Madison’s eyes skim the rest of the books on the shelf. They’re all books Mom reads with her. Then, she notices some books on the bottom, some of her favorite Dr. Seuss books from when she was learning how to read. Madison grabs The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham and slips them in her backpack. She won’t have to read from those books at all—she can just recite them from memory. Finally, Madison has a plan for getting through the reading project.

 

A Lucky Day

The yellow school bus pulls into the shelter parking lot. Jasmine presses her hands against the windows, tapping excitedly that they’re finally there. Suddenly, Madison’s plan doesn’t seem so great after all. The books in her backpack are so babyish. They’re nowhere near as hard to read as Jasmine’s Because of Winn-Dixie. What if her friends see the books and tease her for choosing easy ones?

Ms. Chu ushers everyone off the bus. Madison grabs her backpack and follows her friends inside. Mrs. Wallace greets them all with a big smile. She winks at the four girls. She introduces another volunteer, June, who is going to match each kid up with a dog.

Madison feels more comfortable knowing that the dogs at the shelter know her scent and the sound of her voice. They’re always happy to see her. She may be the new kid at school, but she’s an expert at the shelter.

In about ten minutes, each student has been matched with a dog. Keiko is paired with an itty-bitty Chihuahua named George. Sofia gets a white poodle with red eyes and a pink nose. Jasmine is assigned to an older German shepherd who doesn’t seem happy to be there at all. But Madison still doesn’t have a match.

Mrs. Wallace tells Madison that her dog is in a special room. He’s so nervous that they don’t even want him around other dogs. Madison can hardly believe her luck. She won’t have to read or recite from memory after all.

Mrs. Wallace finishes giving out instructions to the other children. She advises them to spend a few minutes getting to know their dog, since they’ll be working with the dogs for the next few weeks. Mrs. Wallace turns to Madison and asks her to demonstrate how to say hello to a dog.

Madison explains that the children can let the dogs sniff their hand from the outside of their cage. She feels giddy and helpful. Another student, Jimmy, asks how he knows that the dog won’t eat his fingers. He glances down at the pit bull puppy he’s been assigned. Madison steps toward the cage, and holds her hand out, palm up, just close enough to the bars to let the dog sniff, but not bite.

Mrs. Wallace grabs Madison and takes her into an exam room to meet her puppy. She gestures toward a young golden retriever puppy and explains that Madison will be working with Buddy. It’s the same dog they met during the grand opening of the shelter.

Madison says her hellos to the puppy, and he turns his big brown eyes toward her and whines. After a few minutes, Mrs. Wallace comes back into the room with Ms. Chu. They ask Madison how it’s going.

Madison explains that he doesn’t seem very happy to be there. Mrs. Wallace, nodding her head, agrees that he’s a very anxious dog. If they can’t get him used to people, nobody will adopt him.

Madison gasps. Poor Buddy! If he can’t get over his fears, he may never find his forever home.

Ms. Chu encourages Madison to try reading to him. Madison opens up her backpack and pulls out the Dr. Seuss books. Even though only Ms. Chu is present, she still feels nervous. She flips the books back and forth, unable to decide which to start with. Finally, she chooses The Cat in the Hat. She begins to slowly read it aloud, but she’s read the book so many times that soon she’s saying all the words from memory. Then, she moves on to Green Eggs and Ham and finishes that book, too.

Ms. Chu listens silently the whole time. Buddy is still whining nervously. At the end, Madison looks up at her teacher tentatively. Ms. Chu smiles, but Madison can tell that she hadn’t been fooled.

Ms. Chu suggests that maybe next time, Madison can choose a book that’s a little more of a challenge. It’d be good for her, and perhaps Buddy would like a more interesting story.

Madison nods, and looks at the poor pup. Will she ever be able to help him?

 

Madison’s Plan

For the next visit to the shelter, Madison has decided on a new plan. Perhaps reading isn’t the key to getting through to Buddy at all. Jasmine, Sofia, and Keiko take their seats next to their dogs while Madison waits for Mrs. Wallace to take her back to see Buddy. Keiko dives right in reading a book of silly poems. Madison is in awe of Keiko’s reading—she never stumbles, or has to slow down to sound something out. Will Madison ever read as well as Keiko?

Mrs. Wallace leads Madison to the back, and Madison asks Mrs. Wallace if she can take Buddy to the playroom. Mrs. Wallace is hesitant. She thinks Buddy really would prefer the comfort of his cage right now. Madison promises that Buddy will get comfortable with her, but she thinks he needs a little play time first.

Finally, Mrs. Wallace consents. Buddy hasn’t shown any aggression since arriving, so it’ll be okay for them to have a few minutes playing together. But, Madison can’t forget her project is to read to the dog.

Mrs. Wallace helps Madison get Buddy out of his cage and into the play room. June stays in the play room with Madison just in case. The first thing Buddy does is run to the corner of the room and cower, his ears and tail sagging. Madison coos to him that he doesn’t need to be afraid of her.

Madison unzips her backpack and pulls out a lime-green tennis ball. She tosses it to Buddy, who lifts his head to watch it spinning across the floor. Madison picks up the ball and rolls it toward him, but it seems to make him more nervous. Shrugging, Madison reaches into her bag and pulls out a bone specially made for young dogs. Maybe Buddy’s teeth are bothering him. But Buddy’s reaction to the bone is the same as the ball.

Madison turns to June and asks if it’s okay to feed him a few T-R-E-A-T-S. June agrees that it’s okay, just not to give him too many. Madison pulls out a baggie filled with chicken-flavored dog treats. She plops a few into her palm and holds her hand out to Buddy. He sniffs, but turns away. Every time she inches closer, he shrinks farther back.

Madison creeps closer and closer to Buddy, and drops a treat on the floor. Then, she steps a few paces back and drops another. She continues until there’s a trail of treats along the floor leading straight to Madison. Buddy sniffs at the piece closest to him. He seems suspicious, but eventually gobbles the treat. Slowly, Buddy makes his way across the floor, eating treat after treat. With each bite, he looks a little less scared.

Soon, he’s standing right next to Madison, looking up at her. Madison holds up her hand with one more treat in it. Watching her cautiously, Buddy sniffs the treat in Madison’s palm, grabs it, and brings it back across the room to eat it. Madison is beaming. She has finally started to gain Buddy’s trust.

When it’s time for Madison to reconvene with the rest of her classmates, she cheerfully exclaims that Buddy finally let her get closer to him. Sofia is impressed. Buddy was so shy before. Madison explained she didn’t actually read to him at all, but he’s beginning to think of Madison as a friend.

Mrs. Wallace agrees that is progress. They’d had some people interested in Buddy, but when they see how fearful he is, they change their minds. Jasmine nervously asks what happens if Buddy isn’t adopted. Will they need to put Buddy to sleep?

Mrs. Wallace shakes her head. Her shelter is a no-kill shelter, meaning Buddy can live at the shelter as long as he needs to. Jasmine sighs in relief. But Mrs. Wallace explains that living at the shelter isn’t the same as having a loving, forever home. Madison thinks about her new home with Mom, Leo, and Pepper, and she vows she’s going to do whatever she can to help him.

 

Sleepover Singalong

The four girls are enjoying Madison’s first slumber party at Jasmine’s house. After dinner, they’d played card games, watched a movie, and now, they’re squished on the couch, passing around popcorn to each other, while playing with Jasmine’s wiggly dachshund, Cookie. Now that Keiko is no longer afraid of dogs, they’re slowly becoming good friends.

Suddenly, Jasmine jumps up. She’s been saving the best activity for last. She wheels in a thin metal stand with a wide screen on top. It’s a karaoke machine. Jasmine’s been dying to try it out. Jasmine flips a switch, and taps on the screen. Keiko picks up the microphone and demonstrates how you can sing into it.

Sofia gets to her feet and takes the microphone from Keiko. She strikes a pose, as if she’s belting out her favorite tune. Everyone seems excited to participate, except Madison. She knows that karaoke involves reading the lyrics off the screen. There’s no way she can read fast enough to keep up with the song. Her friends will surely notice, and the slumber party would become a nightmare.

As an attempted distraction, Madison suggests making hot fudge sundaes. She brought whipped cream and everything. Sofia says she’s stuffed—if she eats one more thing her stomach will explode. Keiko says that even Cookie wants to sing, holding the microphone in front of Cookie’s snout as he yips and wags his tail.

Madison says she doesn’t think she knows the words of any songs, but of course, Jasmine responds that the words pop up on the screen, so all she has to do is read along. Easy peasy!

But that’s the thing. For Madison, reading isn’t easy. Why couldn’t it be as simple for her as it seems like it is for everyone else. Thinking about it makes Madison feel like hiding in a corner, just like Buddy.

Jasmine waves Madison over to pick out a song. Since Madison can’t think of any more excuses, she gets to her feet and joins the others. They scroll through the list of song choices so fast that Madison can’t even read the names of the song. Luckily, Jasmine begins to read them out loud. When Jasmine reads “Friends Forever,” Madison pauses her, saying that’s her favorite song. Madison doesn’t mention she knows all the words by heart.

The girls put on the song, and the music blasts. Madison joyfully sings along with her friends while Jasmine’s parents sit on the couch and applaud. Inside, Madison breathes a sigh of relief. Her secret is safe once again.

 

Cats Out of the Bag

The next week, the four girls are back at the shelter, excited to spend more time with their assigned dogs. Jasmine pulls out a copy of Frog and Toad Are Friends. She saw the book in the library and just knew it’d be perfect. Keiko brought Charlotte’s Web, and Sofia pulled out a well-worn copy of Shiloh. Then, the girls all turn to Madison, who pulls out a bag of dog treats.

Sofia points and chuckles. Apparently her book turned into a bag of Chicken Chewies. Madison tries to paint a smile on her face, and says simply that she didn’t bring a book. Keiko says Ms. Chu may have some extras, and Jasmine says her mom keeps a big veterinary book at the shelter. Sofia goes so far as to pull a copy of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory out of her bag.

Madison pushes the book back toward Sofia. This is intentional. She’s going to take Buddy into the play room again, because that tactic is really working. Her friends glance back and forth at each other. Keiko gently points out that Madison has to read to Buddy sometime. It’s called the Shelter Dog Reading Project, after all.

Madison frowns, and says simply she doesn’t want to read to him. Jasmine asks why not. Maybe it would help buddy. Madison replies curtly that she’s doing everything she can. She just can’t read to him. She’s not a good reader! She hadn’t meant to say anything, but after she blurts it out, it’s too late to take it back.

Jasmine looks at her friend with a puzzled look. Madison mumbles that sometimes she has trouble reading. She sees a reading specialist at school.

Keiko asks why Madison never told them, and she responds that she was embarrassed. Reading books seemed so easy for them. If they knew how hard it was for her, maybe they wouldn’t want to be her friends anymore. Madison sniffles, holding back tears.

Jasmine hugs Madison, exclaiming that she doesn’t need to be embarrassed. Jasmine wishes that Madison had told them before.

Sofia, nodding, says that there’s lots of things she’s not good at. She still hasn’t learned how to ride a bike. Madison is surprised. Learning to ride a bike was so easy for her. She’s surprised someone as athletic as Sofia was having trouble with it. Keiko confesses that she can’t tie her shoelaces, even after practicing for ages. And Jasmine adds that she’s not good at sports.

They all have things they’re not good at, but there are other things that each of them are great at. Madison is great with animals! No one should feel bad for something they need to work a little bit more on.

Madison nods. Maybe her friends really do know how she feels. But it takes her so long to sound out words. Sofia shrugs, saying Buddy won’t care if she has to go slowly. Everyone laughs. Madison feels relieved for the first time in weeks.

Jasmine hands Madison her copy of Frog and Toad Are Friends. Maybe Madison can practice on Roger. Madison takes the book, and verifies once more that her friends won’t laugh at her.

The girls shake their heads. They’ll all be there to encourage Madison. Madison takes a deep breath, opens the book, and begins to read.

 

Being Brave

A few minutes later, Mrs. Wallace comes into the room to check on everyone. She notices that Madison is reading to Roger, and points out that for the first time, Buddy is in the main room with the other dogs! Madison’s work has really helped him adjust. Mrs. Wallace points to a cage in the corner of the room.

Madison runs over to be closer to Buddy. She didn’t even notice him! She settles into the cushion Mrs. Wallace placed in front of his cage. As usual, Buddy is anxiously pacing at the back of his cage, but he’s not whining. He watches Madison intently as she leans close. She whispers that if Buddy is brave enough to be hanging out with all the dogs, then she’s brave enough to read to him.

Madison opens her book, and slowly begins to read aloud. It takes a while at first. Madison focuses on remembering the techniques her reading specialist had taught her. She sounds out each word, picturing the story in her mind. Every time she stumbles, she nervously looks up, thinking she’ll see her classmates laughing at her. But nobody is even listening to her. They’re all concentrating on their own books.

By the time Madison finishes the first page, she feels more confident. And Buddy has even inched a little bit closer to her, his ears perked up. Keiko points it out to Madison, and Sofia and Jasmine congratulate her. Madison, beaming, keeps reading the book. And each page gets a little bit easier. By focusing on making Buddy less afraid, it makes her less afraid, too.

Two weeks later, Madison is back at the shelter on a Saturday volunteering with her friends. As soon as she walks through the door, she runs over to Buddy to say hello. He’s standing at the front of his cage, wagging his tail and panting. He seems so much happier that Madison can hardly believe it.

Mrs. Wallace says Buddy is making vast improvements. He’s gained a little bit of weight, and even let her trim his nails and brush his teeth yesterday. Madison, encouragingly, raises her fingers to his cage to give him a sniff. She’s surprised when he licks her fingers. Mrs. Wallace continues that Madison is a miracle worker. Because of Madison’s work, soon, Buddy will be ready for adoption. And whoever adopts him will have to read him a bedtime story every night.

 

An Unlikely Hero

A few days later, Madison and her friends are sitting in class on an ordinary Tuesday afternoon, but the day is hardly ordinary… they’re having a pizza party! Jasmine lifts a slice of pepperoni pizza out of a cardboard box, while telling her friends that she told everyone they could win. Sofia chimes in that she never doubted the class for a second. Keiko takes a big bite of her slice of pizza. Madison smiles to herself as she watches her friends dig in. Facing her fears and coming through for her friends, and for Buddy, was better than even the most delicious slice of pizza.

Suddenly, Mr. Brady appears at the door. He congratulates the class for a job well done. In fact, Mrs. Wallace told him that several of the dogs the students read to have been adopted or will be soon. And, the Shelter Dog Reading Project was so successful that they may do it again the next year. Ms. Chu has a huge smile on her face. Madison cries happily that if they need more volunteer readers, she’d love to sign up. Her friends volunteer themselves in no time, too.

Mr. Brady, grinning, says he’s so happy to hear that because he brought a surprise. And he steps to the side to let Mrs. Wallace through the door. Madison is so excited! She’s happy Mrs. Wallace will get to see their school.

However, the girls are surprised to see Mrs. Wallace didn’t come alone. She’s holding a leash, and Madison knows the dog at the end of it very well.

Madison jumps up from her chair and runs to see Buddy. At the sound of her voice, Buddy wags his tail and tugs against his leash. Kneeling, Madison ruffles his golden fur, and he licks her cheek and puts a paw on her lap. Madison asks Mrs. Wallace if he’s been adopted yet. Mr. Brady joins the conversation, and explains he’ll be taking Buddy home that very day. Him, his wife, and his son are all smitten with the golden pup. Madison hugs Buddy around his neck, and praises him.

After Mr. Brady leaves, Ms. Chu says it’s time for them to read their stories of inspiration. And Mrs. Wallace and Buddy can help make their audience even bigger!

Surprising herself, Madison volunteers to read first. She makes her way to the front of the class, and immediately starts to get cold feet. The class looks so much bigger from up there. But then her gaze falls on her friends, and she sees Keiko smiling, Jasmine giving her thumbs up, and Sofia mouthing “you can do it!”

Madison smiles, looks at her story, and starts to read.

The person who has inspired me isn’t ac-actually a person. I’ve always had tr-trouble reading, and I needed help.

Madison pauses to see if there’s any reactions to her slow reading or stuttering, but there’s only silence. Even Eddie, the class clown, is sitting quietly. So she continues,

When I f-first came to this school, I was afraid people would find out about my pr-pr-problem and not want to be my friend. I was so sc-scared by the Shelter Dog Reading Project. But then I met a puppy named Buddy. Buddy was just as scared as I was. But in a way, that made me feel less ner-nervous.

Madison continues to describe how they became friends, and how reading to Buddy helped her build her own confidence, too. She described how her friends encouraged her to be brave and read aloud at the shelter.

They told me to do it for Buddy, so I did—and now I love to read, thanks to him!

Smiling, Ms. Chu thanks Madison for volunteering to read first. Everyone claps loudly, and Madison smiles at her friends. Thanks to them and Buddy, she feels like she can overcome any challenge. As long as she has her three great friends by her side, she knows they’ll always help her until she succeeds.

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