Drita, My Homegirl by Jenny Lombard

This is Belle again. I’ve finished another William Allen White Book Award nominee. It’s called Drita, My Homegirl. Drita is an immigrant from Kosovo to New York City. In case there are some dogs out there who don’t know what an immigrant is—it’s a person who comes to a country from another country to live permanently. Drita is assigned to a class that includes a black girl named Maxie. The teacher assigns Maxie the project of finding out about Drita’s experience of coming to the U.S. for a report to the class. But Drita speaks no English! If both girls knew dogspeak, it wouldn’t be a problem, would it? How will Maxie find out anything about Drita’s life? Drita’s mom is not handling the move well and Maxie’s grandma (a nurse) helps get her to the ER for treatment. You’ll want to read this book to find out if she recovers, how Maxie does on her report and how Drita copes with her new life. Since she’s from another country, there are a lot of foreign words in the story. You’ll get to use the reading skill of context clues frequently because there is no glossary for looking up the meaning of the words. But don’t worry, you can figure out the meaning easily by the context. OR you can call or email me, Belle, and I’ll help you. Enjoy, Homeys!!

I give this book a 4 bone rating.

Clementine by Sara Pennypacker

Hi, my name is Belle Karlin. I was invited by Milo to talk about some of the William Allen White Book Award nominees that I have read. So here goes! Clementine is a third grade girl who reminds me a lot of Ramona Quimby or Junie B. Jones—not that I’ve read books about either of them but my owner has told me about those 2 girls and how they are always getting themselves into a lot of trouble—just like Clementine does. She has to go to the principal's office A LOT—usually for not paying attention which really isn’t fair because she ALWAYS pays attention to something—just not what the teacher thinks she should pay attention to. You’ll want to read this book to find out why she cuts off her best friend Margaret’s hair and colors what little is left with a permanent red magic marker, why she says Margaret is lucky to have bracelets put on her teeth, why she calls her brother Spinach, Radish, or Broccoli instead of his real name, why she thinks her principal has a tattoo, and how she helps her dad fight The Great Pigeon War. The only thing I didn’t like about this book was that it talks about CATS, but no dogs. In fact, Clementine at one time had a cat named Polka Dottie and her friend has a cat named Mascara. How dumb are THOSE two names? I don't know how Milo gets those award bones to show but I give this one a 4 1/2 bone rating.

Punished by David Lubar*

Ever heard some really bad jokes? Most of them are probably a play on words of some sort. Wouldn't chew just love to be able to think of these witty play on words off the top of your head? Now you can begin to understand how our words have many meanings hear in this book.

Logan and his friend, Benedict, are given a research assignment which requires them use resources other than the internet, which forces them to go to the public library. While at the library, they begin chasing each other (yes, running in a library) and Logan ends up running into a mysterious old man, Professor Wordsworth. Being disrespectful towards him, Wordsworth tells Logan that he needs to be punished and by blowing dust off of an old book, casts a spell on him. As a result of this spell, Logan unconsciously starts answering questions and speaking in ridiculous puns. His "new found humor" makes friends and adults groan at him because of his bad word play. Professor Wordsworth makes a deal to cure Logan, if he can finish three tasks for him in three days. The tasks force Logan to take pictures of oxymorons, place anagrams in a bag, and place rubber bands around palindromes. Logan learns about words but due to some problems trying to complete the tasks he may have to be punished forever.

The author does a good job of making use of the English language to introduce readers to terms that they may not have been familiar with before. He also opens it up for some great language arts lessons. The story is a quick read and kids will find that unwrapping the mysteries is very a peeling. It's as easy as a pizza pie to read.
This book is much better red on your own. If a teacher is going to Rita loud to their students, it's best if each person has their own copy so they can sea the puns and the tricky word play fur themselves. Students will find the conversations funny, while adults will the feel the need to grown at the puns.
My master and I both very much appreciate a play on words and think kids will too. So, I'm giving this book:Since listening and seeing this book, my mind is constantly in motion thinking of some punny things that I could say. This book is seriously funny! Ha I just said an oxymoron. At leash I'm getting better at it. Ha! Orange you glad I'm such a witty dog! Oh man, some one stop me, it's going to be hard to behave my shelf. Ok, I definitely knead some help.

- The Reading Dock send

Publisher: Darby Creek Publishing
ISBN: 1581960638
Price: $15.95

* 2008 William Allen White Master List - Elementary

Gossamer by Lois Lowry*

Have you ever wondered anything about your dreams? Where do they come from? Why do we dream about the things we do? Dreams are always interesting. Dreams can also be scary, happy, or frustrating - when am I ever going to catch that squirrel I keep chasing in my dreams? It's always teasing me, stealing my biscuits and running up into a tree. Anyway, this book attempts to explain the origin of dreams and how they come to us, both good ones and nightmares.
The story begins with a small creature named Little One who is being taught the job of giving dreams to people. Her teacher, Thin Elderly, and her spend each night in an old woman's house giving her dreams by pulling "fragments" from things she has touched and passing those off to her at night in the form of a dream. It's when the old woman receives a young 8 year old boy named John with a troubled past, as a foster parent, that Little One learns important things about her job. She is also to acquinted to the Sinisteeds, the giver of nightmares. These bad dreams are given to the little boy. It's up to Little One and her "gossamer touch" to help the boy battle the dreams that he is constantly being haunted by. The story also jumps to another "dream-giver" whose assignment is to give dreams to the boys struggling mother.
Other than being somewhat excited about the importance of a dog named Toby in the story, I was not very impressed with this story. I could relate to Toby's dreams and wonder if there are "Little Ones" responsible for my dreams as well. I am always interested about anything to do with dogs in books, but I was a bit disturbed by the young boy's troubled past, who as it turns out, was abused by his stepfather. I'll leave it at that and you can read for yourself.
Unless there is a real ambitious reader, they won't even get to the part in the story of the boy's troubled past. I think this will be a very difficult read for young people. Not that there are difficult words (other than convoluted) but that the story is not very exciting and could be hard to hold the interest in readers. One of the reasons for the disinterest could be idea of the "dream-givers". Are they fairies? Are they visible creatures? What do they look like? It's hard to relate to a character, that you can't physically picture in your mind.
Because I don't think younger readers will like this haunting story of dreams, I am giving this novel:


While Mrs. Lowry has had many well written novels (the Giver being my owner's favorite) this one is missing something that I can't quite place my paw on. I think the book is written for readers aged 10+, I think it's true appreciation will be from audiences a more teenaged (13-16 yrs) reader, so it could possibly do well on the middle school list on which it was placed.
Now, I'm going to go curl up in my nice sunny spot of the house to see if I can finally catch that darn squirrel. So, if you hear my sleep barking, please just pat my head and leave me to my chase.

- The Dreamy Dachshund

Publisher: Gale Group
ISBN: 9780786289479
Price: $16.00

* 2008 William Allen White Master List - Middle School

Phineas L. MacGuire...Erupts!, by Frances O'Roark Dowell*

Science, science, science. Man how I love science. When there is a book about science, I get really excited. The latest book that we read really made us excited about the subject matter, science labs. A book is even more enjoyable when it makes us laugh. This novel covered both of those areas.
Phineas L. MacGuire, Mac for short, is a 4th grader who has a feeling of lonliness when his best friend, and fellow science geek, has moved to a different state. Mac is going to have to make some new friends to start a new school year. With Science being his favorite subject, he is worried that he won't find anyone he can relate to. The problem is, the only person he can relate to is a girl in his class, Aretha, but he is "allergic" to girls. A new student in class, named Mac R. as well, has proved himself to be very obnoxious, especially to Mac. It doesn't any easier for Mac when he is teamed for the big 4th Grade Science Fair with Mac R who pushes his patience and opens him up to the thoughts and feelings of others.
A very humorous story that is good for 3rd and 4th grade students that will keep their interest and even anticipate the forthcoming books. The best part is that there are some easy to do science experiments at the back of the book that readers could do at home. How fun!
Again, other than being just a good entertaining read, it's hard to say why this was put on the Master List, there is usually some theme to the list (historic fiction, cultural fiction, thought provoking fiction, etc). My only guess is that there is reference to Lawrence, Kansas in the book. I hope the book was on the list for it's entertainment value. It is so entertaining in fact, that I am giving this book a rating of:


Yet another tail wagger on my end. This is going to be a very popular book for intermmediate readers and I am excited to see how kids interest in science is sparked because of this story. This is a book I would lick and sniff this book a few more times and I am looking forward to future novels.

- The Scientific Dachshund

Publisher: Alladin
ISBN: 1416901957
Price: $16.99

* 2008 William Allen White Master List - Elementary

One Handed Catch by M.J. Auch*

Ever wonder what it would be like to go about your everyday life without a hand? How would that change my thinking and motivation and determination? I've seen those videos of little dogs like myself in "wheelchairs" because their back legs are not functioning and it looks a bit cumbersome and uncomfortable to say the least.

This story is about a young man who had to overcome just as much adversity. The book takes place in 1946, just after World War II and Norm loves the game of baseball and is a very good artist. During a freak accident in his father's meat shop, Norm loses his hand in a meat grinder. (Which is probably the most witty and humorous way to describe a tragedy I've ever heard.) Norm is the narrator throughout the story and through his commentary, we learn about his apprehension and worries that come with losing an appendage. His determination to still play baseball is what drives him to always look at the positive. With the help of his hard working family and his sometimes doubting friends, Norm practices and practices to make the baseball team by the end of summer. Without the use of one of his hands, will Norm's dreams of playing baseball come true or will he have to turn to other talents due to his injury.

This is a very good book for anyone with a disability. and has some obstacles to overcome. Norm's perseverance is inspiring to readers. The novel is a nice mix of humor, empathy, and hope. Although the subject matter might be one that would seem to appeal to boys, I think that girls would like the novel too due to the narrator's optimistic attitude towards his unfortunate accident. The story is based on the author's real life husband and his life growing up. Because it appeals to such a variety of readers and the great use of humor throughout the book I am giving this novel:


There are some books that make my tail wag and there are some books that make me want to jump up on the back of my chair and look at things out the window while being read. This book was definitely a tail wagger.

- The Reading Dachshund

Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.
ISBN: 9780805079005
Price: $16.95

* 2008 William Allen White Master List - Middle School

Bird Lake Moon by Kevin Henkes

You know, there are phases in children's literature in which all stories seem to have a same central theme. How many Harry Potter type stories have come out over the past few years. This summer, the theme in children's books seems to be loss, and more particularly death.
Bird Lake Moon is another book that falls into that category. The story is told in alternating chapters from the perspective of two boys, 12 year old Mitch and 10 year old Spencer. The novel starts with Mitch who moves with his mother to their grandparents house at Bird Lake after his father leaves them. Faced with being lonely, Mitch begins to create a hideaway at the abandoned neighbors house which he claims as his own. That is until the real owners (the Intruders as Mitch calls them) move back in. That is when Spencer is introduced. Through Spencer's eyes and thoughts, we learn that the family is returning to the home for the first time since the death of his older brother over eight years prior. Mitch takes exception to their return and decides to leave little tricks and pranks around the house. Events which have coincidences to Spencer's dead brother, who he thinks is haunting them. The boys eventually become friends and seem to bond together before Spencer suddenly has to move back due to his mother's inability to cope with the location of her son's death.

And that's about when the story ends. What? The novel ends with both boys wondering what each other are doing and moving on with life. Although the writing is intellectual and intriguing throughout, I'm no sure that young readers will want to stay with it until the end, and if they do, be satisfied with the anti-climatic closing. Might be a book to recommend to a reader who is trying to themselves deal with divorce or death. This story would probably be more appreciated by upper middle school students and not elementary reader males for whom it was probably most intended.
I give the novel:

Not one of my favorites as of late mainly because of the ending, or lack there of, but definitely one worth reading.
Oh goody, the bathroom door is left open, now's my chance to see just how far that roll of paper can extend before it runs out. Until next time, I'm off!

- The Reading Dachshund

Publisher: Greenwillow Books
ISBN: 978-0-06-147078-3
Price: $16.99

Julia's Kitchen by Brenda A. Ferber

Man, do I love books about food. And even better, about cookies! Unfortunately most cookies in my house have chocolate in them so therefore I can only resort to smelling them as they are being eaten. So, with a picture of a big cookie on the front cover, made this dachshund salivate like I was one of Pavlov's pets. However, upon reading this book, cookies were far from the subject of importance.
Julia's Kitchen is about young eleven year old Cara who came up with the name of her mother's catering business, Julia's Kitchen. Cara's mother and sister are tragically killed in a house fire while she was spending the night as a friend's house, only her father survived. Cara is forced not only to cope with the loss of half her family, but also the way that everyone around her is dealing with the loss as well. Her father goes into a sort of depression and begins to ignore Julia and if it wasn't for the help of her best friend, Marlee, Cara may have slipped into a depression as well. This story is about makng the most out of life and making sure that it continues even in the face of such a tragedy. Along with grieving, Cara blames herself for not being home and is desperately wanting answers from her father as to why he was the only survivor. As part of her coping techniques, Cara decides to continue the catering business that her mother was so successful .
In Ferber's first novel, she takes us into the details and thoughts of the main character, Cara. The author seems to make an emphasis on all those people who are around to support those coping with a loss. Cara is constantly surrounded by very loving and caring people although she doesn't realize it at the time. Although at times, the characters seemed to separate themselves from each other due to the loss, it was the loss that brings them closer than ever.
Throughout the novel, the Jewish religion in integrated nicely. Often times children's literature skirts around the idea, but this novel uses the religion as some what of a teaching tool or introduction to some customs associated with it. There is a nice glossary at the back of the book to help give more detail to each Hebrew word. It shows us that religion is a part of a child's life and their thoughts, questions, and in Cara's case, doubts, about it are abundant.
I am giving Brenda Ferber's debut novel

I am very impressed with her rookie effort and although there were no references to dogs in the story only a couple of cats, one of which also died in the fire. I think students will be interested and will feel sorry for Cara and her situation. I highly recommend this novel to young readers.

Now, let me see if I can sneak some cookies.

-The Happy (and Hungry) Dachshund

Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux (2006)
ISBN: 978-0-374-39932-0
Price: $16.00

* 2008 William Allen White Master List - Elementary

Jumping the Scratch by Sarah Weeks

We are taking a bit of a break from our Literature Circle books over the summer to read some of the books on the William Allen White Master Lists for this year. This list is a compilation of books that tell a superb story and are voted on by elementary students and middle school students throughout the state.
It's always been my owner's goal to read as many as we can throughout the summer so that he will know which to read to his students during the upcoming school year. Now, he is a bit odd and instead of reading only those on the elementary list, which his students are, this goofball also reads those on the middle school list as well. So, now it's my job to keep my paws moving and write these reviews for him. Mainly because he has a bad memory and can't remember them when the time comes. Maybe I should give him a treat to help him remember, because if I have to eat one more of those healthy dog biscuits, I'm telling you I am going to find the cleanest spot on the floor and ... well, no need to air my laundry here. So, here goes.

The first book we read off the Master List was a book called Jumping the Scratch by Sarah Weeks. Mrs. Weeks also had a book on the list a couple of years ago called So B. It, and we liked it so, this book sounded like a good place to start. The story is about a boy, Jamie Reardon who has had some bad things happen in his life; his cat dies, his father leaves, and his aunt is injured in a an accident that causes her to lose her short term memory, or skip as Jamie likes to call it. Jamie and his mother move in with his aunt in her mobile home to help her out, and it's Jamie's job to try and find a "trigger" that will help spark his aunt's memory loss. Jumping the Scratch refers to the skipping of the memories that Aunt Sapphy is having. Because of a bully, and an insensitive teacher, school isn't the most pleasant for him and his grades start to slip. Jamie is having other issues of his own that he can't explain, and he has weird quirks of his own, such as placing old cherry cans around his bed at night, and walking through the ditch past the maintenance man's trailer instead of using the road. Jamie meets a strange girl from the same trailer park who, through her psychic abilities, and amazingly enough the help of his Aunt Sapphy, and a local author, Jamie is able to untangle some of the mysteries to his life that have made him "jump the scratch".
As with her other novel, Mrs. Weeks gives all of us some great insight as to her characters thoughts and feelings throughout the whole book. Jamie's interaction with his aunt is sometimes funny and sometimes heart breaking knowing that this is what this boy has to look forward to everyday after school. Although, the story's ending was a bit predictable, sad to say in today's society, held my interest all the way through due to the other sub plots going on. Jamie's secret was handled in a careful way to get the point across. I was anticipating how all of it would tie together in the end. I can see students feeling for Jamie's character and rallying around his triumphs. Kids may find the triggering of the Aunt's memory a bit odd and unbelievable but will enjoy the story all the same.
Overall, a very good story with a happy ending, I give it:

Sarah Weeks has produced two tail wagging good books not a part of her "Regular Guy" series and I hope her next is just as good.

- The Reading Dachshund

Publisher: Laura Geringer
ISBN: 978-0-06-054111-8
Price: $5.99 (paperback version)

*2008 William Allen White Master List - Middle School

I Can Make Jazz Tunes too!

Okay so maybe I've relaxed the past month or so, or maybe two, okay it was three months. But, the good news is, I'm back with the first of several tail wagging reviews. The book we just finished is called Before John was a Jazz Giant by Carole Boston Weatherford. The story is a picture book representation of legendary jazz musician John Coltrane. The story tells about about John's like growing up in the 1930's and all of the influences as far as music is concerned in his life. These influences range anywhere from his grandmother's banging of hambones in a pot to mama's phonograph to listening to the big bands on the radio.
Not having ever heard John Coltrane before, I assume he was a very influential person in jazz history. Thankfully the author included a brief biography about the legendary jazz saxophonist, and provided a list of links and resources to continue to explore this and other jazz greats. The book was a very short read with some vibrant and interesting illustrations. The illustrations were colorful and dominated by lots and lots of circles. While I can't play the saxophone like Mr. Coltrane did, after eating some of those veggie flavors dog biscuits, I can sure belt out a jazzy tune of my own, although it has more effect on people's noses than their ears.
Because of the unique illustrations I am giving this book


I liked the unique look of the pictures and they went along well with the story. Kids will like the pictures as well as the shortness of the book. I doubt they will get the hymnal feel of the story as it was written as a song, but I do think it is a good book to get themselves acquinted with some of those influential people in history without boring them to death.

The Happy Dachshund - Milo








Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
ISBN: 978-0-8050-7994-4
Price: $16.95

Inside the Human Body

You know, ever since I first laid eyes on my owner I wondered, how does he get around in that big 'ol body of his? How does that body work - mainly support all that weight. All cheap shots at my owner aside, a new book we received this week gave us both a little more information about how the human body works.
The book is called Discoverology: Human Body. This book contains very detailed illustrations and explanatory text about the different parts and systems of the human body. But the coolest part, by far, was the many interactive and three-dimensional models that are included throughout this book. Each page contains an interactive aspect of some sort. There are tabs to pull that move body parts, foldout posters, tabs to lift up and look inside a specific part (the model of the brain and skull was easily my favorite).

Models include:

• A pop up skull with flaps that reveal the brain inside
• A pop up skeleton
• A movable set of lungs that show breathing
• A pop up intestine (umm...yummy)
• A pull tab of growing hair and more

This is a very cool book to have in a library. Although I can see some students sniggering and laughing at the page about the human reproductive system. The 3D replicas and models will have kids captivated for a while as it seems that there is always something new to pull or turn. I enjoyed looking through the colorful illustrations and photos. A very informational book.

Four biscuits for this one, simply because the models are fantastic. For a four legged creature who doesn't know much about this human body that sits around the house all day and blames me for the strange noises and smells that periodically make themselves known, this was a very interesting and exciting book.
I found the perfect place in this book to hide my jerky treat (right behind the frontal lobe of the brain model) so I think I'm going to go and smuggle that treat so I can find it later. So long for now!






Publisher: Barron's
ISBN: 13-9780-7641-6083-7
Price: $18.99

Traces of what?

A picture book is something that we haven't had the chance to read in a long long time. We like them because we can read them really fast. The book we pulled out of the box was a book by author, Paula Fox. She is a famous author who has written some popular books including, The Slave Dancer, and other very good literary works.
With that being said, I was very excited about getting my nose into this one, at least I was until I started reading it. The book, I'm guessing, is about the different tracks, or traces, that things leave on the environment and our world. These include animals, children, dinosaurs, and even Mother Nature.

Something, someone was just there,
Now there's barely a trace of it...

This phrase is repeated over and over and over again. Got kind of tiring after a while. I'm sorry, but I didn't get the point of the story. I'm thinking that this is a poem that Mrs. Fox had written and had it turned into a picture book. As I was reading through, I was thinking that maybe there was an environmental lesson in there somewhere, but it wasn't to be found, unless I missed it. I am a dog after all, and any traces I usually leave behind are to be avoided. I guess, knowing who wrote the book, I was a bit disappointed.
The pictures weren't too bad, and had a unique textured look to them. Nothing to get terribly excited about however. This book was a big let down for me, so I'm going to give this book:

This book for me earned an extra half of a biscuit because the illustrations helped out a little bit from it being a total snoozer.

Naked Bunyips? Should I be Hearing this?

A new box came today and my owner ripped it right open. There were about eight new books for us to choose from and what's at the top of the box, but a book called Naked Bunyip Dancing. Naked what? Naked? Should an innocent little pooch like me be listening to a book like this. What the hell is a bunyip anyway?
Naked Bunyip Dancing is a book written in verse by author Steven Herrick. I remember he wrote a book called The Wolf that I read last summer. Anyway, the story is about a sixth grade class who are just starting a new school year with a new male teacher named Mr. Carey. Now Mr. Carey is not like other teachers, he's a bit weird. He takes time out of class to do yoga, listen to Bob Dylan, and loves to recite poetry. The sixth grade class (6C) has quite the cast of characters in it as well. There is the class room romance between Emily and Jason (complete with smooching), the singer, Anna, the rapper, J-Man, the "tough" guy punk rock lover, Billy, and the classroom farter, Peter (my kind of guy). The class decides to put on a concert to show off their various talents. It was either that or the play Romeo and Juliet, that Emily wanted to do so she could have a reason to kiss her boyfriend, Jason. The story is told through each student in the class and each has it's own unique perspective to add to the story.
So, what did I think. I liked it. I did really like it. There were enough funny spots to keep me interested and I loved hearing the story from so many different perspectives. The setting is obviously in Australia, because of all the references and funny words. I think kids in my owner's classroom would like it, even though it is poetry.
I'm a little rusty at this but I think I'm ready to hand out my bones on this one:

I think that being set in Australia will interest American readers if they can get over that the book is written in verse style. By the way, a bunyip is a legendary creature in Australian folklore, kind of similar to our legendary Sasquatch. Well, I need to be on my way and get cracking on the rest of those books, besides, I smell...good god...is that, yes, yes it is. Snausages! A good book and a yummy treat what more could I ask for! See ya!







Publisher: Front Street
ISBN:978-1-59078-499-0
Price: $16.95

The First Box

Wow! There is not a whole lot of rest for the weary. We got our first box of books this week. In it were about 20 books ready to be read. They are all non-fiction books which is something we didn't have the chance to read last year. Man, I am going to be one smart dog when this over. Ever seen Brian on Family Guy, I'm going to be a smart as he is. Let's get to reading these books, so I can begin my intellectual growth.

Reviews to come soon!


Brian Griffin...I mean, Milo!

A New Spring is Dawning

Well, we have successfully completed one full year of this Kansas Reading Circle Committee. My master went to his "big" meeting to discuss the books that we'd read and chose those who his group thought were the best. The good news is, my master gets to continue his work on the committee for at least two more years. And the most exciting part, he will be reading books intended for grades 3-5 so that he can read them in his classroom. No more of those high school books he had to read. I guess that means no more cussing and kissing and, wait maybe he could change his mind after all. Sigh...oh well, I'm sure this new group of books will be just as interesting. Although, from what I hear, he'll get three times the number he got this year. Good grief, our whole house is going to look like a library.
So, until next Spring, when the boxes begin to arrive, we will be sniffing you all later.

Milo out!

Getting lost on Everest

Wow, it's been a while since I've posted. You know these summer months are tough to keep up with the demands of my owner's reading habits and the nice weather outside. I like stretching out in the sun and letting feeling that warmth on my belly...aahhhhh, just the thought is relaxing. Especially since my owner read the book, Peak by Roland Smith, to me.
The story is about a 14 year old, Peak Marcello, who has a fascination with climbing things until he gets in trouble for scaling a New York skyscraper. His estranged father (a famous mountain climber) takes him to Everest with he and his climbing company. Their goal: to get Peak to the top of Everest making him the youngest to reach the peak. Will he make it?
The story is told as a journal written by Peak himself, so the perspective is unique and colorful. The interesting thing about the story is the detailed accounts of the various climbing expeditions and the struggles and thoughts they had during each one.
The one thing that I got confused about was the time each event occurred. The number of trips up and down the mountain to prepare for their climb to the peak, seemed to take hours when in reality they probably took several days. The action takes place over the course of a summer, but the number of climbs and descents was confusing. Thank goodness for the map in the front of the book that marked the checkpoints and places the characters set up camp or I'd be totally lost. I had to nose the pages to the front when my owner was finished reading so I could grasp what just happened and where it took place.
As far as the book itself is concerned, it was a very captivating story and one that I think middle school and even some high school students would like to read. The character, Peak's, voice in his writing as he is keeping a journal of his experiences is great, and enjoyable. The book is definitely NOT boring. I liked it so much I'm giving it:


I would recommend this to anyone who wants a book that contains non stop action and adventure or to anyone who is interested in mountain climbing and the determination it takes to do it. Lastly, I'm going to give this book my stamp of approval.



I've got some catching up to do, so I'll sniff you soon!

The Wolf by Steven Herrick

Wolf? Wolf? Did somebody say wolf? I love stories about my canine relatives, although the last story about a dog had him getting his scrotum bit. But I reserve hope that this one will come out good in the end as far as the wolf is concerned. This free verse book was so creatively called, The Wolf, and was written by Steven Herrick. This story begins with two teenagers who live very separate home lives but are drawn together by the story of a mysterious wolf who supposedly lives in the area. Now, since the story takes place on the continent of Australia I know that there are no wolves there, -remember, "The dingo ate my baby!", thus leading to the mystery of the what the animal really is. The story is cleverly told in several different perspectives in what seemed to be short poems, but could be read more like chapters. I'm not so sure why the novel was written the way it was, but it made the words more interesting and meaningful. Even reluctant readers will enjoy.

The author decided to write each verse like this:

Milo: Thoughts
One person's thoughts could
be captured in a rare and
unique form.
Writing in this way seemed to make
the book go quicker and
since the collections were broken up
into parts,
it was tough to stop in the
middle of a section
and we wanted to keep reading farther.
As I said before,
the story was written from the different
perspectives of the characters in
the novel.

Lucy and Jake are the two teenagers who go on a journey to find this wolf which Jake's father tells stories about and Lucy's father wants to kill for eating his sheep. Lucy leaves to escape from her father's verbal and emotional abuse and Jake leaves to prove his father wrong that it is not a wolf but merely a wild dog. Well as they venture out, tragedy happens and Lucy and Jake are forced to stay overnight in a cave - hmmmm, two teenage kids in a cave overnight, I wonder what's going to happen . Kiss, kiss, kissy, kiss, kiss. The adventure turns dangerous when the howls of the creature force one of them to leave the cave and find help.
All in all, this so far has been the best book my master has read to me out of our high school pile. Even better than the one with all the dirty words and sex. So with that that being said, I give this book a biscuit rating of:

5 biscuits. This book was extremely well written and was able to hold the reader's attention to the very end. A love story with just enough humor and adventure to satisfy even the pickiest of readers. I think that high school students will enjoy this book because of the story, but also the unique writing style adds to the novel's mystique. The author is able to identify with the feelings and thoughts of many of todays young adults. This is a book which I put my Paw of Approval on.
This is Milo, wagging off for now, but I'll be back soon with another review. So until next time I leave you with a big fat lick across the face. SLURP!

What Happened? by Peter Johnson

Hello again, we're back with yet another book review. We are reading these things left and right. This novel was one that we both enjoyed. Our latest reading pleasure was What Happened by Peter Johnson.
The story is about a 16 year old who has had many a misfortune in his life including the death of his mother and the desertion of his father. He now lives with his aunt and older brother, Kyle. The plot centers around an accident that happened as the boys were coming home from a high school party along with some friends. There are events that lead up to the accident and then the drama unfolds as the boys try to handle the repercussions of that accident. The events evolve into a climax that is somewhat disappointing.
Now for the pros and cons of the book. Pros: The story and the plot are very engaging and my floppy ears were always ready to hear what was going to happen next. I found myself anxiously waiting to see what the characters were going to do next. The novel is written through a series of flashbacks intertwined in the present tense of the story. It was fun to follow the characters through the story. Another quality of the story I liked, was the language. There were enough F-Bombs to keep this big dog's attention for a while. Name a profanity, it was in there.
Cons: The ending of the book was a definite let down from all the events that led up to it. And, as I mentioned before there were a series of dirty words throughout the book, and while these words perked my ears and kept my nose wet, this book is intended for high school students. Along with the profanity, there were also several sexual references, the lord's name in vain on many an occassion, and the characters drank and smoked pot through the whole book - sooooo, with that being said, I'm not sure that this book is the best for high school teenagers, although I think unfortunately some good relate to the characters and it could be good for them to see how to work out their problems. I know my owner felt uncomfortable at times knowing that this was intended for ages 12 and up, not even close. It should actually be for ages 16 and older.
So with all that said, my tail wagging opinion is that this novel would get:

4 Biscuits. Although this was by far the best book we've read so far, the profanity and other themes in the novel and knowing the intended audience, made me eat one of those biscuits. Not to mention, I was a little hungry.

We have gotten several new books in from other publishing companies, so we definitely have our work cut out for us. So, I've got to get back to laying at the living room window and catch some rays from the sun before my owner begins reading the next book. Yawwwwnn! I'll be back later.

Booth's Daughter by Raymond Wemmlinger

We just finished the novel Booth's Daughter written by Raymond Wemmlinger. Now let me give you the low down on this book first. The story is about an 18 year old girl named Edwina Booth who supports her father, the popular stage actor, Edwin Booth. Ever sense the assassination of President Lincoln, her family has been shamed because her uncle, John Wilkes Booth. Poor Edwina gets paranoid when an assassination attempt on president Grant is attempted and she feels that everyone is looking at her. Most of the story follows Edwina for a number of years as she travels with her father as he goes all over performing plays. In between all the plays, president Grant, snotty rich people, Edwina is wrapped up in a romance with quite a few young men.
Now, with my being a very manly man dog - as manly as I can be after the "snip-snip" incident, which I don't like to talk about - I am not into romances. This book made me think of watching those mini-series in the 80's that last for a few days and really never told a story. I felt like I was reading Edwina's personal diary. Although there were some historical facts, they kinda get lost in the first person perspective from Edwina. So with that being said, teens who feel the need to get their romance fix might like this book, but I can't see it being a hot read. The story itself was not bad, there just wasn't much of a plot. No profanity, no sexual innuendos - except for a kiss in which Edwina thinks she's going to pass out - I find it hard to believe very many teens will be impressed with this novel.
I am giving this novel a wet-nosed three and a half biscuits:


When my owner first read the title, he thought it was going to be more about John Wilkes Booth when really, that was just a relative of the main character and didn't have any significance to the story. I hope the next book has a plot.



Sniff Sniff - I'll see you later.

Tough Boy Sonatas by Curtis Crisler

This book is a collection of poems written by Curtis Crisler. These poems are from the eyes of a young boy growing up in the town of Gary, Indiana. There are many vivid images in the poems as the characters and personalities of the local boys is described with each poem. There are people from daydreamers in class to tomboy girls who have a nice right cross to the chops. One boy tells of his grandmother's drug addiction and the effects it has on her. The poem I enjoyed was the poem that talked about the boy's addictions, which ended up being candy bars and fast food. The illustrations throughout the book drawn in black, browns, and darker tans and blues, add to the dingy and sooty look of an industrial town like Gary.
There were a lot of very graphic words and "images" through the writing. The "n-word" was even used sparingly throughout the poems, as long as imagery of sex, violence, and innocence of the boys in the community in which they were raised.
Will high school kids enjoy this book? Some may. If you can get past the way each poem is written in chopped up pieces down the page and read it like a prose instead of trying to get a rhythm of poetry in your head, it may be interesting to some. I'm betting most teens will just read and re-read the poems that talk about the sex or have questionable language.
Now as far as my wet nosed opinion of the book, I would give it 3 1/2 bones out of five.


Until next time, LICK!