
Trouble at Betts Pets follows fifth-grader Aaron as he grapples with multiple challenges. His family's beloved pet shop, Betts Pets, is facing financial difficulties, pushing his parents to consider selling. Simultaneously, a community garden, home to a homeless woman, is slated for demolition to make way for luxury condominiums. Amidst these weighty issues, Aaron forms an unexpected friendship with Sharon, a classmate who tutors him in math. The book gently explores themes of financial hardship, social justice, empathy, and the complexities of new friendships, making it a thoughtful read for children navigating change and developing a sense of social awareness.
A number of changes are taking place in fifth-grader Aaron's life: business at the family pet shop is declining, forcing his parents to consider selling the store; luxury condominiums are going up on the land that houses a community garden, displacing the homeless woman who lives there; and Aaron gets to know his seemingly perfect classmate Sharon when she begins to tutor him in math.