Pet (Pet #1)
Akwaeke Emezi
Make Me a World
Published September 10, 2019
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About Pet
A thought-provoking and haunting novel about a creature that escapes from an artist’s canvas, whose talent is sniffing out monsters in a world that claims they don’t exist anymore. Perfect for fans of Akata Witch and Shadowshaper.
There are no monsters anymore, or so the children in the city of Lucille are taught. Jam and her best friend, Redemption, have grown up with this lesson all their life. But when Jam meets Pet, a creature made of horns and colors and claws, who emerges from one of her mother’s paintings and a drop of Jam’s blood, she must reconsider what she’s been told. Pet has come to hunt a monster–and the shadow of something grim lurks in Redemption’s house. Jam must fight not only to protect her best friend, but also uncover the truth, and the answer to the question How do you save the world from monsters if no one will admit they exist?
In their riveting and timely young adult debut, acclaimed novelist Akwaeke Emezi asks difficult questions about what choices you can make when the society around you is in denial.
My Review
Pet has been on my reading list for quite some time. I picked up a copy of it at the bookstore in 2025, and since it’s such a short book, I decided to jump right into it as I started the new year.
It’s a really unusual story. There’s a bit of profanity in the text, and some themes that make it better suited for middle school students. To be honest, it reminded me a lot of The Giver by Lois Lowry.
The story takes place in a post-apocalyptic world in which everyone is supposed to be safe from monsters. The main character, a trans girl, is able to freely live as herself and make autonomous decisions about her body. Shadows of the past horrors still linger. For instance, Jam’s mother’s name is Bitter, and Jam knows she was named this because her birth was the result of “monsters monstering.”
Throughout the story, Jam wrestles with big questions about the world she knows. She has to decide when adults are telling her the truth and when there’s more to the story than they are ready to tell her or face themselves.
After Pet, a large, winged creature, emerges from Jam’s mother’s painting, Jam agrees to help him find the monster living in her town. He repeatedly calls her “Little Girl”, which only bothered me because he does it so frequently and doesn’t refer to her friend in a similar way, like calling him “Little Boy.” I suppose it’s meant to affirm Jam’s identity and reinforce the idea that Pet isn’t human and doesn’t think like one.
Conclusion
On the whole, I thought this was a deeply thought-provoking book. It’s so easy for us to assume that we’ve blocked all available pathways between danger and our kids, when, really, that isn’t the case. Sometimes, assuming we don’t have to be vigilant lets trouble in. Pet would make a great discussion book.
Content Notes
Recommended for Ages 12 to 14.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
Profanity used infrequently.
Romance/Sexual Content
Vague references to sexual abuse. (Nothing shown on the page or described in any detail.)
Spiritual Content
Pet emerges from a painting Jam’s mother made. He is from another world and has come with instructions to hunt down and stop a monster.
Violent Content
Situations of peril. It’s unclear what Pet will do once he finds the monster, but it’s assumed that he may kill them. References to a past revolution that stopped monsters from harming others, but at great cost.
References to a child with unexplained bruises. Late in the book, one scene shows someone bound to a chair and hit repeatedly.
Brief references to a trial for child abuse.
Drug Content
In one scene, adults drink alcohol as part of a celebration.
Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I borrowed a copy of this book from the public library. All opinions are my own.
