M.H. Herlong

This book made me contemplate why I ever stopped reading for enjoyment. This book once cracked open I was invested in, it was one of those you are truly transformed to the character's story and you just can't put down. The bond between the dog and the boy grows stronger through the book as readers are taken on Lil T's journey. Lil T develops as a character through the book first begging for a dog and working hard to keep buddy. The boy sells his Gameboy and works weekends just to feed and show more treat the dog. Lil T's character develops through his challenges of leaving his dog in the New Orleans house, seeing the black X on the house and one dog written under, the death of his grandpa, and earning money to get his dog back from California people. Although, Lil T loves his dog and their bond he becomes selfless at the end of the book and allows Brian to keep the dog because he needs him more to alert his mother during seizures. We see the development of other characters like his mom being protective and then allowing little bits of freedom this helicopter mom was relatable to my own mother. This story was sad and heartwarming at the same time. This book is now one of my favorites of all times. It was relatable because many times my family was not economically well off and we wondered how we would take our dogs with us, many times we would scrunch in the back seat and take turns holding the dog on our laps. The new schools and not feeling like anywhere was home but New Orleans was also empathetic to me. The grandpa's passing showed readers that even through all Katrina's destruction life still went on and people must deal and overcome all obstacles in front of them. The parts of the book with families being separated during holidays like Easter and Christmas for construction of old houses was also a concern of my families with the closeness of relationships we had to each other. This book teaches of real-life problems and stories all Katrina babies have also experienced, the travels of hour-long traffic and many other specifics transformed me back to these settings. It appealed to my emotions and memories greatly. show less

I loved this book! Written from the voice of Lil't, whose home is New Orleans, LA, the author develops the character from a young child - a wise young man. The depiction of a strong church family, a strong grandfather, father, mother and siblings is sheer poignant joy!

Poor in money, rich in love, Lil't's family struggles financially. Lil't longs for a dog. While driving to church, his father hits a stray dog that ran in front of the car. Buddy wants desperately to obtain assistance for the show more dog and pleads with the congregation to help. Like Buddy's family, the congregation consists of strong, caring people who are financially challenged.

Yet, when there is a need, the congregational members rise to the occasion. Learning from the vet that the dog's leg cannot be saved, Lil't convinces his father that he will take care of his "Buddy." Mowing lawns in the hot New Orleans sun, Lil't manages to earn money to buy food for Buddy.

The love between an animal and a young boy is portrayed with wonderful clarity. The writing style of the author is spot on and never over the top!

When Buddy's family must leave New Orleans when hurricane Katrina approaches, they have no choice but to leave Buddy behind. Placing him in the bathroom with ample food and water, Lil't prays he will be safe until the family can return.

Alas, when they return, Buddy is gone. When Buddy is located, difficult choices arise.

Five Stars for this book that melts the heart and reminds the reader of the power of love. show less

I wasn’t really into this book as much as the others at first. But then on page 158, when he draws a black dog and then water, that’s when I finally had an emotional response to the book. And for the rest of the book I was really engaged into. When he described the setting in Mississippi with his grandfather having to be buried next to the broken trees, I thought how the broken trees represented the family and the storm had broken them each in their own way. I moved to New Orleans show more directly after Katrina to help my father clean up his house in Lakeview and I remember how driving down to New Orleans everything was so beautiful, until you hit Mississippi. Then it was nothing but broken trees. And even then I found it incredibly powerful and moving. I liked how the book ended but I have to say it was predictable. But the way the character summed it up as being an instrument of God and he saved the dog for Brian, that was also really powerful and moving. Overall the second half of the book I found engaging I guess because I related to it more. And I also felt more sympathetic towards the characters having gone through Katrina. show less

The story "Buddy" by M.H. Herlong follows Lil' T, a 12 year old black boy growing up in a lower class family in New Orleans. He lives with his mom, dad, little sister, little brother, and grandpa; however, when his dad hits a dog while driving one day, Lil' T bonds with the injured dog and ends up adopting it. The dog had one of its legs amputated after being injured, but it ends up healthy thanks to Lil' T. Life in Lil' T's house is busy, as his dad is working, his mom is watching his show more little sister and brother, as well as cooking lunches and making pralines to make extra money, and Lil' T is going to school as well as mowing lawns to help pay for food for his dog- who he named Buddy. His family's life gets even more hectic when Hurricane Katrina hits New Orleans, flooding the city and forcing the family to evacuate, leaving Buddy behind. Lil' T falls into a deep depression, thinking that Buddy died in the flood. As time moves on, Lil' T goes through many trials and tribulations, from failing school to dealing with the death of his grandfather. Eventually, he finds out Buddy is alive and in California with new owners, and he gets in contact with them and manages to travel to California to retrieve Buddy (thanks to a generous donation of plane tickets). When he meets Buddy's new owners- a boy named Brian and his mom- Lil' T is glad they took care of Buddy, but is determined to bring Buddy home. It isn't until Lil' T discovers that Brian- who was very unhappy that he had to give Buddy to Lil' T- has seizures and that Buddy acts as his service dog, alerting Brian's mom whenever he has a seizure. Lil' T, after a night of reflection, decides that Buddy is truly Brian's dog, and that Lil' T was just a way for Buddy to get to Brian. Lil' T is heartbroken, but he knows he did the right thing, and his family and community is proud of him as well. It's hard for me to describe how much I enjoyed this book, since there's so many aspects that I love about it. While reading, I was trying to figure out why we were reading this book during a week where we talked about social justice in class, and I figured it was due to Lil' T's class level, as well as the discrimination Buddy faces for only having three legs. I was pleasantly surprised when Buddy was revealed to be Brian's service dog, as it shows that disabled dogs (and therefore disabled people) have purposes in their life and are capable of being just as functional as anyone else. The section of the story where Lil' T and his family live in Mississippi really stayed with me, as this was the section of the book where (in my eyes) Lil' T suffered from depression. I heavily related to some of his experiences with depression, like when he was failing school or withdrawing from social situations. As someone who suffered from severe depression (and still has bouts with it occasionally), I know what it feels like when you have no energy to do school work or care about failing grades, as well as to be numb to what's happening around you. When Lil' T's parents discovered he was failing and confronted him about it, Lil' T felt hot shame creep down his neck, and ran to his room and sobbed- when I read this, I sobbed too! I couldn't help but think of myself back in high school, as I experienced this same situation. I think the author did an excellent job of writing not only the entire book, but especially Lil' T's character. His emotions and reactions are so true to life that I saw a reflection of myself in Lil' T, despite our differences. I seriously loved this book, and there's many other things that I loved I want to mention in this review but I'm sure this is already way too long! show less