PAWS: HAZEL HAS HER HANDS FULL shines the spotlight on Hazel, one of the members of the PAWS dog walking/pet sitting group. While Hazel’s mobility is limited due to spinal muscular atrophy and she uses a wheelchair, that doesn’t keep her from taking an active role in the group. Hazel’s cautious mom insists that one of the other group members go with Hazel on their jobs. When the opportunity arises to cat sit for her friend Carlos in his wheelchair accessible home and none of the other PAWS crew is available, Hazel decides to take on the job on her own without telling her mom. Things are going great—until her mom finds out.

While Hazel is the focus of the book, the other girls in the PAWS crew are facing challenges of their own over the summer, including Gabi having a conflict with her cousin who’s visiting for the summer and Mindy visiting her dad and getting to know her future stepmother.

The book is a welcome example of representation of individuals with disabilities. Hazel is portrayed as a full-fledged, equal member of the PAWS team, but attention is also given to some of the challenges she faces as a wheelchair user. It is clear that the authors have taken care to learn about Hazel’s condition. The mix of friend and family drama paired with pets and a powerful message about standing up for yourself makes for another fun installment in this series perfect for fans of animal stories and friendship stories.

This was a really good installment of this series. I love all the characters that we've gotten to know over the course of these books. The illustrations are super cute as always. The plot was pretty basic and I could figure out everything but I am an adult and if I was a kid reading this I don't think I would have been able to see where the story was going. I'm looking forward to reading more about the PAWS girls in the next book!

12-year-old, Hazel Miller lives in Vancouver. She has Spinal Muscular Atrophy and uses a wheelchair. When Hazel started going to a new school, she joined the PAWS club, aka Pretty Awesome Walkers. But Hazel gets frustrated that her mom never lets her do things alone. Summer break is coming up and the PAWS members have full schedules pet sitting and dog walking. Can Hazel take on a cat sitting gig alone? How can she tell her mom?

The illustrations are bright, cute, and colorful. The characters are relatable, memorable, authentic, and endearing. The plot is humorous and engaging. Readers who like realistic fiction, friendship stories, and pet stories. Recommended for most library collections. 4 stars, Gr 3 to 7