Who can focus on school when their new neighbor is training an adorable puppy to be a guide dog for the blind?

Not Sparrow Robinson, the contagiously exuberant hero of “Sparrow, Always,” the third installment in Maine author Gail Donovan’s series charting a tumultuous ride through 4th grade for a headstrong girl who’s finding out that what makes her special can also get her into trouble.

Donovan will be on hand to celebrate Sparrow on Saturday, Nov. 8, at 2 p.m., at Portland Public Library’s downtown branch. Donovan will read from Sparrow, Always and introduce a special guest, Clifford, a real-life adorable puppy, who is in training to be a service dog with Guiding Eyes for the Blind.

Readers first met this irrepressible character in “Sparrow Being Sparrow,” when she takes on the responsibility of finding homes for her neighbor’s seven cats in what Kirkus Reviews called a “warm and welcoming tale of a girl finding her way home.

”Then they watched her care for an injured bird during a snowstorm and power outage, when her parents were away, bringing her new baby brother into the world, in “Sparrow Spreads Her Wings,” the winner of a 2025 Maine Literary Award from the Maine Writers and Publishers Association.

In the latest story, Sparrow’s emotional outbursts and her inability to focus on what others consider important have put her at odds with some of her peers and garnered the attention of the grown-ups at school.

Will she be able to meet their expectations and be allowed to help a yellow Labrador named Toby get ready to qualify for the next big step in his training?“

Readers of all ages are welcome to hear the author read from “Sparrow, Always” and visit with Clifford, a 6-month-old yellow Lab, and his puppy raiser, Sherry Baron, from Guiding Eyes, to learn about what it takes to raise a dog with an important job.

All three of Gail Donovan’s books about Sparrow are published by Simon & Schuster, and will be for sale at the event by PRINT: A Bookstore. The event will take place at the downtown branch of the Portland Public Library, at 5 Monument Square in Portland, Maine. The reading will start shortly after 2 p.m., after which the author will sign books, and attendees will have a chance to create a kitty-cat bookmark. The event is family-friendly and free and is best suited for children aged 7-11.