Vet Volunteers Books in Order: How to read Laurie Halse Anderson’s series?
For the children who love animals!
What is the Vet Volunteers Series about?
Previously published as Wild at Heart, Vet Volunteers is a series of children’s books launched in 2000 and written by American award-winning author Laurie Halse Anderson.
Welcome to the Wild at Heart Animal Clinic run by Dr. J. J. Mac–or simply Dr. Mac! The Vet Volunteers Series focuses on the adventures of five children who volunteer at the clinic as they help the animals and solve mysteries!
How To Read Vet Volunteers Books in Order?
- Manatee Blues (2000)
- Homeless (2000)
- The Trickster (2000)
- Fight for Life (2000)
- Say Good-Bye (2001)
- Storm Rescue (2001)
- Teacher’s Pet (2001)
- Fear of Falling (2001)
- Trapped (2001)
- Time to Fly (2002)
- Masks (2009)
- End of the Race (2003)
- New Beginnings (2012)
- Acting Out (2012)
- Helping Hands (2013)
- Treading Water (2014)
- Left Behind (2016)
What is the plot of the Vet Volunteers stories?
For more information about the books in the Vet Volunteers series by Laurie Halse Anderson, you’ll find below the official synopsis for all the books:
Fight for Life: Maggie – Maggie’s grandmother runs an animal clinic, Dr. Mac’s Place, so Maggie knows her way around animals who are in danger. When she learns that the abused and sick puppies flooding the clinic are from an illegal puppy mill, she knows that she has to find out who’s running it, where it is-and save the rest of the dogs!
Homeless: Sunita – Sunita has always wanted a cat, but her parents are dead set against it. Then she finds a group of strays living in the wild, and knows she can domesticate them-even though she’s been told that these are feral cats, who see humans as their enemies. First, she convinces Dr. Mac to examine the cats, fix them, and give them shots. Then she wants to re-release the cats, now healthy, into the neighborhood. The problem is, the neighbors consider the cats dangerous pests. Will Sunita’s plan backfire?
Trickster: David – As soon as he sees Trickster, the new horse at Quinn’s Stables, David knows he’s found the horse he was born to ride. But David’s got a reputation as a troublemaker . . . and Trickster’s still recuperating from an accident. David is determined to clear his name and prove to Mr. Quinn that he’s worth taking a chance on. Can he reach his goal?
Manatee Blues: Brenna – Dr. Mac has brought Brenna, Maggie, and Zoe to Florida to visit her friend Gretchen, a marine biologist who runs a manatee rescue center that’s in desperate need of money. Brenna’s immediately drawn to the endangered, gentle giants, and wants to do whatever she can to help them-and the center. But is she causing trouble where she wants to help?
Say Good-Bye: Zoe – Yum-Yum is an adorable shih tzu and one of Zoe’s favorite clients. When Zoe and Yum-Yum visit a ward of cancer patients, she is amazed by how much joy the tiny dog can spread in an instant. But then Yum-Yum is diagnosed with cancer himself. How can Zoe help the little dog pull through?
Storm Rescue: Sunita – Sunita Patel is book smart and good with cats. When a hurricane approaches, Sunita realizes that Lucy, a diabetic cat with a broken leg, is in danger, along with her owner, Mrs. Clark. When the vets are called out on emergency, the evacuation starts. Will Sunita be able to save Lucy or will she be a scaredy-cat.
Teacher’s Pet: Maggie – Maggie’s still getting used to middle school. One of her teachers is, too – Mr. Carlson, her new science teacher, is blind, and is working with a guide dog for the first time. Scout is a love of a German shepherd and really wants to do his job, but Maggie can tell that Mr. Carlson’s still having a hard time. Maybe she can help. . . .
Trapped: Brenna – Someone’s been setting animal traps in the nature preserve behind Brenna’s house. She and her older brother, Sage, are furious – not only is that illegal, it’s hurting and killing defenseless animals where they should be safe. They both want to do something, but Brenna’s worried that Sage may have some really extreme plans in mind. Can she rein him in?
Fear of Falling: David – David is determined to learn to jump on horseback if it kills him. And sometimes he’s afraid it might, like when Comet balks and won’t go over the crossbar. Now that David’s father is back in town, he’s promised to teach David how to jump like a champion. But David can’t let him know how scared he is. Because there’s one thing that scares David more than falling off a horse, and that’s disappointing his father. Can he overcome his fear, or even talk about it?
Time to Fly: Zoe – There’s a flock of parrots in Zoe’s backyard! No one knows where they came from, but they aren’t as big a surprise as the sight of Zoe’s mother, who has just arrived from California. She wants Zoe to move back home with her – something Zoe has been waiting to hear for months. But why does leaving Ambler and Dr. Mac’s place seem so much harder than she expected?
Masks: Sunita – After Sunita’s beloved pet cat, Mittens, gets injured on her watch, she wonders if vet work is right for her. She takes an internship at a research lab, but learns that they test on animals and eventually put them to sleep. Sunita loves animals, but can she find a way to work with them without harming them?
End of the Race: Maggie – Maggie learns all about dog racing when an injured greyhound is brought to the clinic. She goes to the track with Dr. Mac and Taryn, the newest Vet Volunteer, to check on the condition of the dogs. It’s risky, but it will be worth it if they can save these greyhounds!
New Beginnings: Jules and Josh – Meet Jules and Josh, the new twins in town! While Josh adapts quickly to Ambler, Jules accidentally makes an enemy of Maggie. Hoping a pet will help her feel better, Jules adopts the class rabbit, Chewie, but things go downhill when there are complications with Chewie’s spay surgery. With Dr. Mac out on a call, it’s up to Jules to work with Maggie to help the rabbit – and maybe even prove that she and Josh are worthy of becoming Vet Volunteers.
Acting Out: Zoe – Zoe is back in Ambler after living with her mom in Los Angeles, and she doesn’t know what to feel about it. It’s fun to be back with the Vet Volunteers, but Zoe misses her mom, who is filming a movie in Canada. Meanwhile, there seems to be a rash of animals being poisoned by antifreeze across the town, and Zoe fears that David’s new adopted cat, Rover, might be one of them. So the gang works to raise awareness about antifreeze poisoning, and Zoe’s mom has a special surprise in store for everyone.
Helping Hands: Jules and Josh – Jules and Josh are so excited when their parents hire ponies to attract customers to their sidewalk sale. But the Vet Volunteers notice that the ponies don’t seem to be very healthy, and after an examination, they learn that the handler, Gus, has been mistreating them. Can the Vet Volunteers help the ponies get well and find a better life for them?
Treading Water: Brenna – When the Vet Volunteers find some abandoned ducklings, they know there’s no time to lose. Without a mother, the ducklings must learn to swim on their own. But where did they come from? When Brenna and the rest of the Volunteers learn that the ducklings are abandoned Easter pets, they hatch a plan to educate their community about baby animals–but they also must teach the ducklings to swim before it’s too late.
Left Behind – When Sunita joins Dr. Gabe and another Vet Volunteer on a house call at a local horse farm, she is concerned to discover a lone lamb housed in one of the stalls. She knows that sheep are flock animals and that without other sheep and lambs around, this little lamb will not thrive. Can she and her fellow Vet Volunteers help educate the owner, and find a new home for it with others of its kind?
What should you read if you like the Vet Volunteers novels?
If you like reading Laurie Halse Anderson’s Vet Volunteers stories, you may be interested in The Magic Tree House books, Erin Hunter’s Warriors novels, The Puppy Place series…
