All Hal Fenton ever wanted was a dog. His rich parents are never around, and in any event don’t like messes, or spontaneity, or companionship – all things he knew he could get from a dog:
Hal didn’t mind what it looked like; it would be alive, and it would belong to him, and it would be there when his father was in Dubai and his mother was out with her friends and he was alone in the house with the maid who changed every month and was always so homesick and so sad.”
Before his tenth birthday he virtually bombarded his parents with pleas and notes, and finally his father said okay, but not to what Hal thought. His father was going to take Hal to the Easy Pets Dog Agency where you could rent a dog for the weekend. He figured Hal would get tired of the dog very quickly, and would hardly notice when they returned it.
But Hal and the little mutt Fleck felt immediate and mutual devotion, and Hal’s mother had to trick Hal to get Fleck back to the Agency. Hal, desperate, prepared to rescue Fleck and run away. At the Agency, he won the assistance of the little girl Pippa who was helping to take care of the dogs. She not only went with him, but she freed all of Fleck’s other dog friends in Room A. All of them headed out to Hal’s grandparents, who Hal knew would be accepting. Along the way they were chased by greedy adults who were after the large monetary reward publicized for Hal, but the two children also made a number of helpful and wonderful new friends. The dogs too found “soul mates” along the way. Thus, Hal and Pippa and all the dogs learned what it meant to feel as if you were “home,” and even Hal’s parents started to learn as well.
Evaluation: How can you not love a book about dogs that don’t die? ….Only in this case, it was the author who died, days before seeing the page proofs for this book. She left lots of adoring fans behind, including me, Nymeth, and Jenny. This book is meant for middle grade readers, but will endear readers of any age.
Rating: 4/5
Published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., Publishers, 2011
For more reviews of books for children and teens, go to Booking Mama’s feature, Kid Konnection, posted on Saturdays. If you’d like to participate in Kid Konnection and share a post about anything related to children’s books (picture, middle grade, or young adult) from the past week, leave a comment as well as a link on her site.
Filed under: Book Review Tagged: | Book Review
That looks like a wonderful book. I love the title too since it’s generally the dog who owns the boy and not the other way around.
Love books about dogs. Luckily the newer books aren’t all tearjerkers with dying dogs!
We have this one and I started reading it with my son, and we did enjoy it, but somehow we got caught up at the end of the school year and never picked it up. We are going to try again because i know my son would like to continue it.
That is so sad about the author! The story sounds a bit unrealistic, but very sweet, and for middle graders that can be a very good thing.
I love that cover and can already see that being a big hit with my middle school kids!! We, I mean, they love any books with dogs!!!!!
Eva Ibbotson died?!! Say it ain’t so (please). I am a big fan of her earlier, fantasy-ish books; will definitely be reading this one, especially because the dog doesn’t die. Thank you.
Oh … now you made me sad that she didn’t get to see her book published. I wish you could rent a dog … I’d get one on the weekends to play with Romeo.
I’ve never heard of this one. It looks very sweet too. Thanks for the review.
How sad about the author! I’d love to read about dogs (and cats) that don’t die.
You got me with just the cover!