Mel Ellis (1912–1984)

Boy and his pet wolf go on the run after the wolf kills a valuable, pedigreed dog that was pestering it. At first he's chasing his wolf to try and catch it- even though he raised the wolf from a pup, it doesn't let him come close enough to touch. When he doesn't return after a while, people assume the wolf killed the boy, and armed hunters with dogs come after them. Now boy and wolf are fleeing in earnest- he can't stand to see the wolf killed and can't figure out how to recapture it. It's show more companionable enough, but won't follow back to the kennels where they lived. So they strike out north, for a forested area devoid of people where the boy has heard a wolf pack lives. He wants to introduce his wolf to the pack hoping they'll accept him and the wolf can live free in the wild.

Most of this is an adventure story, the journey through the woods trying to find shelter, food, and evade capture... Even though the writing style didn't really appeal to me, I really liked how realistic the wolf's character was written- its modes of communication and wariness reminded me a lot of those in Julie of the Wolves. Appreciate that even though there's quite a lot of killing (of rabbits and birds for food), it's very matter-of-fact, and made clear that it's done by necessity. I think kids -especially those who like adventure stories (such as those by Gary Paulsen) and animals would find this book more exciting than I did, though I like it well enough to look for a few more by this author.

more at the Dogear Diary show less

I am giving this book 3 stars to indicate how I would probably not recommend the book to most others. My book says copyright 1969, and it looks like a book for youth, but the story is a bit brutal.

The city Killicut is a fictional town on Lake Michigan. The main character, Guy Hardin, is trying to make a go fishing like his father by purchasing a boat with a bank loan, but is heading underwater financially.

People start reporting sightings of the large black dog and the stories turn into a show more legend of a 'ghost' dog. Guy hears of a $3,000 reward for a lost champion Black Labrador named 'Jet' that he believes is the dog, so he makes it his mission to find him. Guy takes his own Labrador 'Muggsie' with him.

I grew up in Phoenix Arizona, and then later most of my life in Southern California. So I liked how the story revolved around boats, water, islands, and winter weather, in a place different than I have known. The author Mel Ellis was an associate editor of Field and Stream magazine so tells this outdoor adventure in a very authentic way.

At one point Guy gets drenched so scrapes together a lean to and tries to start a fire to keep from freezing:

'In the tiny oasis of calm just back of the windbreak, I made a tiny tepee of splinters. Then I opened a shotgun shell and poured the powder in a heap beneath the wood. I tried a match on a rock. It crumbled. The next one I put under my cap into my hair and rubbed gently to dry it. When I struck it against a rock it flared briefly and then fizzled out.'

People say his quest is dangerous and foolish:

'He sounded concerned. “Don't do anything foolish' he said. “Don’t risk your life. No dog, not even Jet, is worth that.”

I couldn’t quite agree with that. In my book a map should be as willing to risk his life to save a dog from suffering as he would to save a person. I suppose that sounds immature, or at least sentimental. But I know that if a barn full of horses was on fire, I’d work just as hard to save it as if the barn was full of people.'

Part of the danger is to navigate through a narrow dangerous straight called 'Death's Door' that had to be navigated each time he traveled to the islands where the dog was being sighted. While dramatic sounding, I got tired of how often Death's Door was mentioned.

One aspect of the book that I know some people don't like is that it involves hunting. When that turns into hunting a dog though, I think that goes to a point where most people would not like.

I am not sure if any new legends are getting made by normal folk as the news media has taken over the job of making up big false stories. People like to hang on to their stories though as this passage speaks to:

'Natalie Parish summed it up for me one night. I'd taken her to Safe Harbor Inn for supper because I needed her company, and she had said: “Guy, it’s too good a story to give up. People don’t want it to disappear. Every winter they have a different one. Sometimes it’s a flying saucer. Sometimes it’s a giant ghost coyote raiding the farms. Sometimes they pick a deserted house and haunt it with ghosts. It’s a winter pastime, a game — telling stories like that.”'

I like a good ghost dog story and this one was good but with some rough aspects making it hard to recommend. show less

I am giving this book 3 stars to indicate how I would probably not recommend the book to most others. My book says copyright 1969, and it looks like a book for youth, but the story is a bit brutal.

The city Killicut is a fictional town on Lake Michigan. The main character, Guy Hardin, is trying to make a go fishing like his father by purchasing a boat with a bank loan, but is heading underwater financially.

People start reporting sightings of the large black dog and the stories turn into a show more legend of a 'ghost' dog. Guy hears of a $3,000 reward for a lost champion Black Labrador named 'Jet' that he believes is the dog, so he makes it his mission to find him. Guy takes his own Labrador 'Muggsie' with him.

I grew up in Phoenix Arizona, and then later most of my life in Southern California. So I liked how the story revolved around boats, water, islands, and winter weather, in a place different than I have known. The author Mel Ellis was an associate editor of Field and Stream magazine so tells this outdoor adventure in a very authentic way.

At one point Guy gets drenched so scrapes together a lean to and tries to start a fire to keep from freezing:

'In the tiny oasis of calm just back of the windbreak, I made a tiny tepee of splinters. Then I opened a shotgun shell and poured the powder in a heap beneath the wood. I tried a match on a rock. It crumbled. The next one I put under my cap into my hair and rubbed gently to dry it. When I struck it against a rock it flared briefly and then fizzled out.'

People say his quest is dangerous and foolish:

'He sounded concerned. “Don't do anything foolish' he said. “Don’t risk your life. No dog, not even Jet, is worth that.”

I couldn’t quite agree with that. In my book a map should be as willing to risk his life to save a dog from suffering as he would to save a person. I suppose that sounds immature, or at least sentimental. But I know that if a barn full of horses was on fire, I’d work just as hard to save it as if the barn was full of people.'

Part of the danger is to navigate through a narrow dangerous straight called 'Death's Door' that had to be navigated each time he traveled to the islands where the dog was being sighted. While dramatic sounding, I got tired of how often Death's Door was mentioned.

One aspect of the book that I know some people don't like is that it involves hunting. When that turns into hunting a dog though, I think that goes to a point where most people would not like.

I am not sure if any new legends are getting made by normal folk as the news media has taken over the job of making up big false stories. People like to hang on to their stories though as this passage speaks to:

'Natalie Parish summed it up for me one night. I'd taken her to Safe Harbor Inn for supper because I needed her company, and she had said: “Guy, it’s too good a story to give up. People don’t want it to disappear. Every winter they have a different one. Sometimes it’s a flying saucer. Sometimes it’s a giant ghost coyote raiding the farms. Sometimes they pick a deserted house and haunt it with ghosts. It’s a winter pastime, a game — telling stories like that.”'

I like a good ghost dog story and this one was good but with some rough aspects making it hard to recommend. show less

The story of a gander named Duke who remains behind on a marsh sanctuary with his mate. The book explores Duke's experiences and challenges, providing insights into the life of Canadian geese without anthropomorphizing them, allowing readers to empathize with his journey