Pete and Fremont

Book excerpt: Purebred and razzle-dazzle pink, Pete the poodle is the biggest star in the Circus Martinez. But when he muffs a couple of flaming-hoop jumps, he gets bumped from the headliner spot. Pete's just about ready to roll over and play dead when he comes nose to nose with the new attraction, a supersized grizzly bear named Fremont, who was captured from the wild a few nights before. Despite their knee-shaky beginning, Pete and Fremont hit it off. And together they learn that, though it's no place for rookies or hopeless has-beens, the circus is a breeding ground for first-class camaraderie.