Adele Griffin: Hello. My name is Adele Griffin. I'm the author of All Pets Allowed, the second book in my Blackberry Farm series. In my first book, The Becket List, Becket wants a pet of her very own, but because she and her family live on a farm, she already has a lot of animal-related chores. She has to care for hens and chickens and a donkey. I loved writing all about this farm and so in All Pets Allowed, I continued that wish then Becket's dream finally does come true because on her tenth birthday, she gets to adopt her dream dog from a shelter. And Becket imagines that this is the dog of her dreams. He seems really friendly and energetic. And then he comes home, and he's really very shy. He likes to hide away in his crate and he's scared of loud noises.

And then meantime, Becket's twin brother, Nicholas, who's a little bit of a shy kid, wants a quiet little kitten who reminds him of himself. But then Nicholas ends up adopting this really bouncy, extroverted, talented cat. And so both books were really hinged to animal-centric plots. And I hadn't realized at the time how much I enjoyed writing about animals and the outdoors. It just came with the territory when you have a story about a kid who moves to a farm. Both books are also about family relationships, especially the brother and sister, Becket and Nicholas. I like to think that Becket and Nicholas are twins who are very different from each other and who get surprised and sometimes a little frustrated about the way they each handle different situations, but then they also complement each other the way they understand each other helps them when they're getting to know the quirks of their pet.

This is an excerpt from All Pets Allowed. In this little part of the book, Becket and her twin brother, Nicholas, are in the car on their way to the North End Animal Shelter, but they don't know exactly what pet they will get:

The car trip will lead us to our twins gift, and it doesn't take long for me to guess where we are going. When we pull off the highway at Exit 8, in the direction of the North End Animal League and Adoption Center, my hopes start rocketing. Even my fingers and toes feel overactive. I get out my doodle dog notebook and look at my list. WHY I SHOULD HAVE A DOG:

1. I already take care of the Blackberry Farm animals (Laying Godiva, the chickens, plus Pickle and Chew) I feed and groom them, check them from ears to tails, and make sure their water is fresh, with no dead bugs on top and no yuck stuff at the bottom.

2. I handle all moth, ant, fly, and spider body removal, and toilet-flush burials for Nicholas.

3. When Mr. Fancypants was old and sick, I was in charge of him.

Next to me, I see that Nicholas has gotten out his kitten notebook. I peer over his shoulder and to my enormous surprise, I read: WHY I SHOULD HAVE A CAT:

1. I am already in charge of the laundry and the laundry room, which is a good place to keep a litter box.

2. I like the smell of catnip.

3. I enjoy the outdoors, soft objects, and cello music (same as cats).

4. I am good at clipping my nails, so it will not be hard to clip a cat's nails.

A cat? Say what now? We don't want a cat! Also, what a bad list! For one thing, how does Nicholas know what music cats like best? Also, why would a cat care if Nicholas also likes catnip? Nicholas's list is more about how Nicholas reminds himself of a cat. Not about why he should have one.