Emily lives in a building with four floors. Their landlord lives on the ground floor, and his chickens live in the backyard. Up one floor is Penelope from Emily’s class at school and her mother and younger brother Jonah. The third floor is where Emily lives with her parents. And then there is an attic, which is empty except for some dust.

And then Rani moves in.

Rani is about Emily’s age, and she moves in with an armchair and a backpack and a big black dog named Otto. Emily watches as Rani pulls out a hammock from her backpack and sets it up, so she has a place to sleep. Emily had brought her dad’s homemade cookies as a welcome gift, so Rani has something to eat. And she has Otto to watch over her.

Rani also has stories. She talks about orangutans and hippos and how her mother is in Patagonia. Emily can hardly wrap her head around all the words that Emily uses. And Rani doesn’t seem to stop moving. She does cartwheels and backbends and rappels down the side of the building.

But when Emily tries to take Rani to school, and tries to get her to follow the rules—or even to understand why the rules are important—Emily finds that her new friendship might not be as easy as she thought. Will Emily ever be able to teach Rani to follow the rules, or will she let her new friend get her in trouble with the grow-ups?

Two Friends, One Dog, and a Very Unusual Week is a powerhouse of a middle grade novel, filled with strong characters, lots of animals, a clown, plenty of cookies and ice cream, and lots of fun surprises. Rani is spirited and imaginative, and she takes the adults at their literal words. The contrast between free spirit Rani and rule follower Emily makes for an interesting play of opposites, and it’s nice to see them both experiencing life from a different point of view as their friendship grows.

Reading this book reminds me of being a kid reading about Pippi Longstocking. Rani has that same perspective on the world, where the rules don’t seem to work for her and she makes her own small miracles as the world seems to bend to her will. I loved the whimsy that underlined the character of Rani, and how she made things work out for her and her friends. She is incredibly caring and smart, and she makes Two Friends, One Dog, and a Very Unusual Week a beautiful song of friendship and discovery. I really loved it, and I think middle grade readers will jump on Rani’s bandwagon and run with her.

Egalleys for Two Friends, One Dog, and a Very Unusual Week were provided by Peachtree through NetGalley, with many thanks.