Where Do You Belong?

Where Do You Belong? is the fifth book in the Rockett's World series. It was written by Lauren Day.

Back Cover Synopsis

 * Welcome to Whistling Pines Junior High School, where new girl Rockett Movado's figuring out who's who and what's what. She has to make some big decisions. Like who might be a friend for life and who's a full-time phony? And is it safe to trust everything she hears? Rockett's choices really count. She's learning who she is and where she fits in -- and any move she makes could change everything.
 * Rockett's helping Jessie keep a stray dog safe in school. But she's made a big mistake. By talking to the wrong person. Rockett's put the pup in danger. Can Rockett zip some lips or is the cat ... er, dog ... out of the bag?

Summary
Rockett wrestles with feeling resentful at having to share her room when her older sister Juno plans to return home from college in the middle of the semester. But she places that turmoil aside when Jessie shares a major secret about finding a lost puppy that she’s smuggled to school for safekeeping until the owner can be contacted. How many people can they trust to puppy-sit for each class without getting busted by the teachers, or worse, Nicole?

Each person let in on the secret wants to help the adorable puppy, but it proves challenging to keep a puppy nestled into bookbags and under sweatshirts without it barking, moving, or piddling all day.

Strangely, Nicole is almost too preoccupied to notice the odd behavior of her peers. When Rockett catches her crying in the locker room, Nicole blurts out that she’s sure from her dad’s internet history he’s going to move the family to the jungles of South America. The idea of leaving her friends and civilization is deeply upsetting to Nicole, and she hesitates to tell her friends for fear that they will reject her once they know she won’t have a future with them.

In trying to console her, Rockett overshares and reveals the dilemma of the puppy. Nicole is unsympathetic and threatens to get the dog sent to the pound if she hears that anybody else knows about her impending move to the jungle. As the day goes on, Nicole comes close to telling on Rockett several times. Her fears are put to rest when she learns from the principal and her visiting mother, Celeste, that the jungle properties her dad was researching were for ventures in development and investments - not for relocating the family.

The puppy gets through one school day and Sharla offers to keep it overnight at her place. When Rockett gets home, Juno is there. Turns out Juno has mono and must take a few weeks off from school to recover. Rockett gets over her issues about sharing the personal space and asks Juno to use her computer science major to help track down the puppy’s owner online. Juno manages to do so in under an hour and contacts the owner to pick up the puppy from the school kids before classes begin the next day.

Almost everyone in the 8th grade turns up in the early morning for the puppy to go home. Sharla especially is concerned about handing over the puppy to someone who was careless enough to lose him in the first place. She changes her mind when the owner turns out to be a handsome man in his 20′s on a motorcycle. He’s polite and grateful for everyone’s help in keeping his pet safe. Plus, he and Juno have instant chemistry upon meeting each other.

After the puppy is gone, the status quo of Whistling Pines resumes.