Charli’s Dorsal Device is about a girl named Charli who goes to Career Day and hears an engineer, Ms. Robin, talk about making mobile devices with GPS. Charli drifts into a big daydream where she is a grown engineer, teaming up with her friends Molly and Emma to design a tracking gadget called DUG that clips to a dolphin’s dorsal fin so Dr. Grace at the aquarium can follow the rescued dolphin after it is released back into the ocean. They brainstorm, design the case, write the code, test it on their dogs, fix mistakes, and finally help that dolphin swim free while its movements appear on a computer screen. Then Charli snaps back to the school assembly and realizes she might want to be an engineer for real.

I really loved how the writing makes engineering feel like play instead of homework. The scenes where Charli hides her shoe in the auditorium or chases the moving dots around the park felt fun and goofy and still showed how the tech works. The author keeps the language super clear. Words like GPS, CAD, and programming pop up, but the book explains them in such a simple way that I never felt lost. It felt like a friend saying, “Look, it is just a map, some satellites, and a little gadget that listens to them.” That mix of everyday stuff and science made me kind of giddy. I caught myself thinking, “Wait, kids could actually do things like this.”

The idea of helping a hurt animal heal and then using a tiny device to keep an eye on it after it swims will show readers that positive things can come from technology. The testing scenes at the dog park and the beach made me laugh, but they also showed that real projects mess up and need fixes. Water leaks in. Dots disappear. Dogs chase seagulls. The girls do not give up. They tweak the design, add waterproofing, try again, and celebrate when it finally works. It sends a powerful message that mistakes are normal and that girls belong in labs, offices, and workshops where big, world-changing ideas are born. The colorful art backs that up, with bright faces, messy splash pads, and that proud little moment when the seagull flies away, and everyone knows the device is ready.

The artwork throughout the book is clear and cute, with bright colors that pop off the page. The kids, the animals, even the little background details all have this fun, cartoonish energy that pulled me in. It reminds me of The Magic School Bus, with that same mix of science stuff and playful visuals.

I think this children’s book is a sweet and energizing pick for kids who like animals, gadgets, or just asking “How does that work?” It would be great for early elementary readers, classrooms doing STEM units, or any family that wants to nudge their kids, especially girls, toward science and engineering without it feeling like a lecture. If you want a story that mixes dolphins, friendship, problem-solving, and a big, hopeful line like “Anything is possible,” this one totally fits the bill.

Pages: 91