by Ann Martin
This book was just okay for me. I was beginning to skim at the end. It\’s a novel for middle grade readers about the life of a stray dog. It begins with the dog\’s birth, following through her life as she learns how to scavenge for a living and wanders through countryside and towns. At first accompanied by her sibling, then another stray dog, often alone. Some people she meets are friendly, others ignorant or unkind. Some take her in for a while, but she is often abandoned once more. In the end she finds a loving home and has peace. It\’s a nice story that tells what stray dogs experience, but for me lacking in descriptions or feeling. I\’ve read several other books describing the life of a stray dog that were far more interesting and emotional: Scruffy by Jack Stoneley, Nop\’s Trials by Donald McCraig, Fluke James Herbert, to name a few. Or even Dogsbody, by Diana Wynne Jones (not about a stray, but a very imaginative story from a dog\’s viewpoint). A Dog\’s Life just doesn\’t quite compare. However, I\’m sure kids would like it just fine. Maybe I should really quit reading J Fiction, as I feel like it often just disappoints me nowadays. I\’m in for more depth and complexity.
I picked up this book at a library sale. Incidentally, it\’s by the same author who wrote the Babysitters Club books.
Rating: 2/5 …….. 182 pages, 2005
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You\’ve GOTTA Read This!
What is Mrs. Searles Reading?
Shamantika\’s Reflection: Being Human
anyone else?