I love the layered storytelling of Bluey, and I want to find some novels that take a similar approach. Specifically, I'm looking for lovable characters and whimsical story lines, but a deeper, emotional story that's there if you're looking for it. Some Bluey episodes that come to mind that do this well are Hammerbarn, The Show, and Baby Race.
I'm expecting most books that fit this bill would be Middle Grade. I recently read Crenshaw (Applegate) and loved it. It's close to what I'm looking for here, but the stakes in that book are a lot more blunt than I'm looking for here.
by quarter-Ds-on-stacks