The Unlikely Tale of Chase and Finnegan by Jasmine Warga (Balzer + Bray, 240 pages, grades 3-7). Finnegan is an abandoned dog, lost in the woods after a shameful incident with his previous owner that has him convinced that he’s a bad dog. Chase is a young cheetah living in the zoo, trying to figure out life after her mother dies. They tell their stories in alternating chapters. Finnegan is rescued by Ryan, who brings him home to the apartment he shares with his girlfriend Basma. Basma works at the zoo where she is training Chase to be part of a show. They decide that Finnegan might help Chase, and the two animals’ stories converge. As they learn to trust each other, each one is able to show the other that they are worthy of love despite past mistakes. Chase is able to overcome her worries about performing, and Finnegan learns to trust that his new humans will always be there for him. Includes additional information about cheetahs and dogs and the program pairing cheetahs with rescue dogs that inspired this story.

Animal lovers will enjoy this story and may be inspired to learn more about how to help endangered cheetahs. Chase and Finnegan are both loveable animals, but their doubts and worries about their places in the world will resonate with kids. This would be a great choice for an elementary read-aloud or book club.

Licorice by Kara Lareau, illustrated by Kelly Murphy (Scholastic, release date October 20, 224 pages, grades 3-7). Kitty’s story begins in an animal shelter, where she’s been brought after a traumatic early life living in the woods. Her neighbor, a rabbit named Bunny Von Hopper, gives her all sorts of advice about how to present herself for adoption, but Kitty is too afraid to follow much of it. She’s surprised when a boy named Max Winters takes an interest in her. A few days later, she’s officially adopted and taken to the Winters’ home at 5 Manderley Lane. There, Kitty’s worst fears come to pass as she feels like she is constantly living in the shadow of her predecessor, a beautiful and amazing cat named Licorice. A gray parrot named Duchess shares the home and delights in taunting Kitty with stories of what an amazing cat Licorice was. Licorice seems to have died under mysterious circumstances, but as Kitty spends more time in the house, getting to know various animals and humans who are part of the family, she begins to piece together what actually happened to Licorice, and to realize that she may not have been exactly the beloved pet Kitty initially believed her to be. A series of plot twists–and a slightly twisted ending–assures readers that Kitty has found herself a happy home.

If some of these story elements sound familiar, you may be recognizing them from Daphne Du Maurier’s novel Rebecca (or the Alfred Hitchcock film version of it) on which this book is based. It’s a fun and well-done take on this classic story, but even those who aren’t familiar with the original will enjoy this slightly creepy tale with plenty of suspense and questions that keep the reader guessing right up until the last page.