10-year-old Maggie wants a puppy for her birthday and her parents have agreed, but when they go to the pound to pick one, Maggie breaks out in hives, itching and swelling. Allergy testing turns up positive to all animals with fur. When Maggie first finds out about her allergy, she gets very angry, throws a book, has a fit and tears up her room. This is obviously not ok behavior, even for something that to a child it may feel like earth-shattering news. --- She struggles with loneliness because, in her mind, her twin brothers have each other, her parents seem focused on the new baby her mother is expecting) and she is going to a new school where she has no friends. When she does make a new friend (with a new neighbor) this also becomes a source of a set of concerning content. First, Maggie loves going to Claire’s house where she lives with her divorced, artistic, permissive father. At Claire’s house it is quiet and her dad says “Yes!” to everything. When her friend Claire gets a new puppy, Maggie struggles with significant jealousy. Later the friends come up with a scheme to get a mouse (hoping its small size won’t trigger the allergy), but instead of asking Maggie asks for a lock for her door, buys the mouse without permission and then lies when she again develops symptoms. She lies and tells her mom she has a cold and when it seems her allergy meds are not working, Mom takes her to the allergist where she continues to lie. When the truth comes out (her brothers finally tell her parents) Maggie blames her brothers and her friend Claire (Note that she does, in the end, realize she was wrong and apologize).
