The Great Vandal Scandal

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Author: Emily Ecton
Illustrator: David Mottram

© Date: 2023
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Pages: 234
Chapters: Yes
Illustrations: Yes, but a lot of page layouts do not have illustrations
Publisher Recommended Age: 8-12
Bonus Activities at End of Book: No

Summary from Book: Big plans are afoot at the Strathmore building. Butterbean is going to become a therapist (unless maybe she means a therapy dog?). The white cat is coming out of retirement to do a new commercial for caviar-flavored pet treats. And Wallace is moving into a great new apartment. But these plans don’t include a group of rowdy raccoons taking over the loading dock and throwing everything into turmoil.

Now residents from the whole building are coming to the Strathmore Seven for help-from Second Floor Biscuit, a Yorkie with an unfortunate haircut who faces eviction for barking at the intruders; to the loading-dock rats, who are feeling intimidated and upset. And even worse, Madison gets blamed for the raccoons’ vandalism! It’s up to Butterbean and the rest of the pets to stop the raccoons and restore their friend’s reputation-before it’s too late.

Page Pig Thoughts: The full humor has returned in the third book. Reading the chapter about the dog with the bad haircut was challenging because I was giggling too much to get a word out. We reread that part about the dog with bangs more than once. And I am still giggling about the raccoon outfits, a raccoon in a sequined tube top is such a funny idea and visual.

I particularly enjoyed that all of the pets and their friends worked together for the end goal of saving Madison from being wrongly accused of a crime. These books are good examples of teamwork saving the day, and a fun read for animal lovers. They definitely get Page Pup thumbs up and we look forward to the next one.

Family Unit: Humans and pets that make a family. Mrs. Food (elderly woman), Madison (school age girl), Butterbean (Long haired Dachshund), Walt (Oriental short hair cat), Oscar (mynah bird), Marco and Polo (rats).

Madison (school age girl) is currently living with Mrs. Food while her aunt is deployed.

Wallace the rat was a pet rat, then he lived in the vents, but now he has attempted to move into a new apartment.

Chad the octopus lives in an apartment in the building, but comes to Mrs. Food’s to eat food.

The white cat lives in an apartment in the building, but comes to Mrs. Food’s to hang out/pester the pets.

Conflict/Social Issues:

  1. The pets would like the raccoons to leave the loading dock.
  2. The raccoons feel misunderstood by others, they are not trash pandas.
  3. The loading dock rats feel intimidated by the raccoons and had to find somewhere else to live. After the raccoons move into the storage area, the loading dock rats have to move again.
  4. Bob the apartment building supervisor believes that Madison is the culprit of the storage area thefts and vandalism.
  5. Mrs. Hates Dogs on Six has a short standoff with Mrs. Food in the hallway. Mrs. Hates Dogs on Six believes that Madison is the culprit behind the theft in her storage unit.

Positive Items:

  1. The pets work well together, accept each other for who they are, and make plans that take advantage of each other’s strong skills. They leave their comfort zones for the good of a mission (e.g. the rats are willing to climb on Walt the cat’s back, and Walt is willing to let the rats take a ride).
  2. When Mrs. Food hears that there is evidence indicating that Madison has vandalized the storage area and stolen things, Mrs. Food asks Madison and takes her at her word. Mrs. Food never waivers from her belief that Madison is innocent. Mrs. Food does whatever she can to prove Madison’s innocence.
  3. The pet rats used to be intimidated by the wild loading dock rats. After all the pets get to know the loading dock rats, they all get along. The loading dock rats listen to the pets’ requests, and the pets include the loading dock rats in their plans.
  4. After Butterbean listens to Reginald, the head raccoon, the relations between the pets and raccoons improves. The raccoons appreciate being heard for a change, so they are willing to help the pets. Without having their voices heard, the raccoons would not have helped the pets with their plan to clear Madison’s name.

Items of Interest:

  1. Creepy start, slavering jaws, long thin fingers grabbing through insulation, long thin fingers reaching through loading dock grates to grab Oscar’s legs.
  2. Biscuit, the yorkshire terrier, gets a horrible haircut. The other animals wonder if that is why he is so upset. Turns out that he is barking at the activity on the loading dock visible from his window.
  3. Butterbean has plans to become a therapist because Madison plans to take her for a test. Butterbean wants to therapy everyone. She calms Biscuit’s barking so much that his owner doesn’t want Madison to take Butterbean home.
  4. The raccoons have taken over the loading dock and are moving into the storage area. Even the loading dock rats have been looking for a new place to live due to the raccoons.
  5. Oscar the bird goes on a solo mission to get the raccoons to leave. He kicked what seemed to be just a fur coat in frustration. A raccoon hand quickly emerges from the coat and grab’s Oscar’s leg.
  6. Oscar the bird and the head raccoon threaten each other. “Leave or else,” from Oscar. “Don’t bother me or else,” from Reginald.
  7. The white cat is trying to gag down horrible tasting cat treats for her upcoming ad campaign. The only animals that will eat them are raccoons.
  8. Butterbean also does therapy with the head raccoon, Reginald. She asks him about his feelings and his mother.
  9. Mrs. Hates Dogs on Six threatens to have Madison sent to jail because she believes that Madison ransacked her storage unit and stole things. Mrs. Hates Dogs on Six calls Madison a juvenile delinquent and threatens to have Mrs. Food evicted.
  10. Mrs. Food defends Madison to the best of her abilities. Bob, the apartment supervisor, tries to be intermediator between Mrs. Food and Mrs. Hates Dogs on Six. But Bob says that the evidence against Madison does not look good. The evidence is that video surveillance shows Madison walking into the storage area. The later evidence is that all of the other storage units are ransacked, except for Mrs. Food’s. (The raccoons were trying to be helpful at this point.)
  11. Bob, the building supervisor, mentions to Mrs. Food that she could file a lawsuit against Mrs. Hates Dogs on Six for harassment.
  12. Walt the cat’s computer skills come in handy again.
  13. Madison is excited to take Butterbean for a test to become a therapy dog. Butterbean says that the panel does not appreciate her techniques. Madison says that they would not let Butterbean retake the test because she did so poorly.

Other Books in Series (At Time of Posting):

  • Book One – The Great Pet Heist (review)
  • Book Two – The Great Ghost Hoax (review)
  • Book Four – The Great Catnapping (review)

      

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