One Dog and His Boy

One Dog and His Boy
by Eva Ibbotson

From the publisher:
"Eva Ibbotson's final masterpiece, a tale of a boy and dog who were meant to be together.

All Hal had ever wanted was a dog. "Never!" cries his mother. "Think of the mess, the scratch-marks, the puddles on the floor." But on the morning of Hal's 10th birthday, the unbelievable happens. He's allowed to choose a dog at Easy Pets, a rent-a-pet agency (a fact his parents keep from him). The moment he sees the odd-looking terrier, he knows he's found a friend for life. But no one tells Hal that Fleck must be returned. When Hal wakes up on Monday morning, Fleck is gone. If dog and boy are to stay together they'll have to run away. . . . From the renowned Eva Ibbotson comes a tale laced with humor and brimming over with heart, stunning in its beauty of the love of all things dog."

I am a huge Eva Ibbotson fan, and while this book did not disappoint, it wasn't my favorite. This is the last book she wrote before she passed away at the age of 85, so I am very happy she finished it. It is sweet and charming, and like all Eva Ibbotson books, the good characters are very, very good, and the bad characters are so terrible they are almost like cartoon caricatures. My dog lovers at school will love this one, as it is practically an ode to dogs. The dogs in the book are really the stars. They are loyal, funny, loving and heart wrenching. I adored every one of them. 

I mentioned that this one isn't my favorite by this author, but I did enjoy it. I haven't read all of her books for children (she also writes books for adults that I love - although they are now marketing them for Young Adult instead of adult, and I - and the author - don't agree with that). My favorite of her children's books is definitely Journey to the River Sea , followed closely by Star of Kazan and The Secret of Platform 13 - and yes, that was written before Harry Potter came into existence. I love her writing and her heart and her proclivity for always having good overcome evil.  Happy endings abound. 

Areas of concern:
*Terrible parents are depicted. Obviously a parent who would rent a dog for their son's birthday and not tell him that the dog had to be returned are not good parents. They are, in fact, so ridiculous that it doesn't seem real, and at the end they try very hard to change.
*Runaway children on their own with a bunch of dogs.
*Technically the dogs have been stolen by the children.

Suggested Ages:

Kirkus Reviews - Ages 9-14

Publisher's Weekly - Ages 8-12

Rain Reign

Rain Reign
by Ann M. Martin

From the publisher:
"Rose Howard has Asperger’s syndrome, and an obsession with homonyms (even her name is a homonym). She gave her dog Rain a name with two homonyms (Reign, Rein), which, according to Rose’s rules of homonyms, is very special. Rain was a lost dog Rose’s father brought home. Rose and Rain are practically inseparable. And they are often home alone, as Rose’s father spends most evenings at a bar, and doesn’t have much patience for his special-needs daughter.

Just as a storm hits town, Rain goes missing. Rose’s father shouldn’t have let Rain out. Now Rose has to find her dog, even if it means leaving her routines and safe places to search. Rose will find Rain, but so will Rain’s original owners."

Rain Reign is a book that spoke to my heart. I have a grandson who is on the autism spectrum, and so many of Rain's behaviors were reminiscent of my little man. My grandson starts school in the fall, and those of us who love him can't help but be worried about how he will be treated by his peers and his teachers. He is brilliant and sweet and loving, but he also fixates on things, can be incredibly annoying and has scary meltdowns. I can only hope that his school is as good and loving with their Special Ed kids as we are to ours here at Blevins. Add to that story the information that I had 2 dogs in my life that I loved and enjoyed for 29 combined years, and you can see why this book touched me. I even got very teary-eyed towards the end when Rose, the main character, shows great courage and growth. I really recommend this book, with the caveat that it would be best as a class read (reed) or family read (reed). The main character IS a little annoying, and all of the homonyms/homophones in parentheses get a little distracting, so I'm afraid many middle schoolers won't stick with the story. Use it as a read-aloud at bedtime when your child is snuggled up on their bed with their dog cuddled up next to them. Or use it as a classroom read-aloud to help your students understand and empathize a little more with those who have challenges or disabilities. 

Areas of concern:
An alcoholic and neglectful father who has no idea how to raise his child, but tries his best (which isn't very good).
A scary storm that devastates the area.

Suggested Ages:

Publisher's Weekly - Ages 9-12

School Library Journal - Grades 4-7

The One and Only Ivan

The One and Only Ivan
by Katherine Applegate

From the publisher:
"Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all.
Instead, Ivan thinks about TV shows he's seen and about his friends Stella, an elderly elephant, and Bob, a stray dog. But mostly Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste of a mango or the sound of leaves with color and a well-placed line.
Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see their home—and his own art—through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it's up to Ivan to make it a change for the better.
Katherine Applegate blends humor and poignancy to create Ivan's unforgettable first-person narration in a story of friendship, art, and hope."

I may be the only person on the planet who didn't think this book was amazing.  It won the Newbery Medal for 2013.  But after reading reviews that used words like "life-changing", "it transformed me", and "I cried for the last 30 pages", I was expecting a little more. It was a sweet story, if quite predictable.  It just didn't pull me in.  Charlotte's Web (another children's book with humanized animals that received the Newbery Honor Award) had me from the first sentence.  My lack of feeling for this book may stem, in part, from the double spacing and empty pages.  I felt that made the whole thing seem rather choppy and disturbed the flow.  However, I can see middle schoolers enjoying this book. The animal characters are charming, the story is sweet and simple with a happy ending.

On another note...I rarely agree with the Newbery winners, so I'm not surprised that I just found this book okay, but it still leaves me flabbergasted that Wonder didn't even get a nod from the Newbery people and this is what won the award. *Sigh*

Suggested ages:
Publisher's Weekly:  Ages 8-12
School Library Journal:  Grades 3-7