The Underdogs: We're Not the Champions (the Underdogs #2) - by Tracey West (Paperback)

About the Book

"Duke's cousin Coco, an elegant French bulldog from Paris, is coming to Barksdale Academy as an exchange student, and Duke is worried about what she will think about his often uncouth friends, the Underdogs; Coco joins Team Awesome for the K-2 exam where the Barksdale teams compete against a rival school, but it turns out that Coco has problems with the athletic events, and it is up to the Underdogs to rescue their school's reputation."--

Book Synopsis

The second chapter book in this fun, highly illustrated series about four dogs who learn that being yourself is much more fun than being Best in Show. From the bestselling author of Dragon Masters and the illustrator of Diary of a Pug!

Welcome to Barksdale, where all the dogs strive for perfection. Every shopkeeper claims to be the "best groomer" or sell the "best biscuits." And at Barksdale Academy, the pressure is on for one pup to be named Best in Show.

Duke's cousin Coco, a French bulldog from Paris, is visiting for the K-2 loyalty exam. During this exam, the Underdogs and their classmates will participate in a field day event against a rival school.

Coco is cool, funny, and charming -- especially compared to the Underdogs. So when it comes time to choose teams, it's no surprise she ends up on Team Awesome instead of with her cousin Duke and his friends.

But during the K-2 exam, Coco can't seem to get anything right! She trips during the six-legged race, and drops everything that's thrown to her. If Barksdale loses the field day events, everyone -- including the Underdogs -- will fail their loyalty exam!

Can the Underdogs come to Coco's rescue -- and save their school's reputation?

With black-and-white illustrations on every page and hilarious antics throughout, this series is perfect for readers who are just starting to read chapter books on their own, or for anyone who loves a good underdog story!

About the Author

Tracey West is the author of the New York Times bestselling series Dragon Masters, for Scholastic Branches. She has written more than 400 books for children, including the Underdogs series, illustrated by Kyla May; the Pixie Tricks series, illustrated by Xavier Bonet, and the perennially popular Pokemon chapter books. She lives with her husband, adopted dogs, and chickens in the western Catskill mountains of New York State.

Kyla May is an Australian illustrator, writer, and designer. She is the creator and illustrator of two early chapter book series: Lotus Lane and Diary of a Pug. She is also the illustrator of The Sloth Life and The Underdogs series. In addition to books, Kyla creates animation. She lives by the beach in Victoria, Australia, with her three daughters.