Gennifer Choldenko

Before discussing this book, I have to explain that I was watching Shaun Tan's animated short Lost Thing while I was reading it. This probably accounts for the quiet air of melancholy that I felt wound through the book.

Nicholas' dad, is brave. Nicholas is not. He's scared of the dark, of the things he imagines lurk behind corners. But he figures out he can be brave with some help - the help of his toy dinosaur. He carries it with him everywhere, even tucked into his sock during a soccer show more game. And then he loses it. The dark is too much for him and his dad realizes something is wrong. When Nicholas breaks down and tells his dad about his fears, his dad takes him back to the soccer field to find his dinosaur.

Santat's glowing pictures show multiple night-time and shaded scenes, with the giant shadow of the dinosaur standing strong behind Nicholas the whole time. When Nicholas loses his dinosaur, he is followed home in the car by a sinister red glow and creepy shadows encroaching from the edges of the dark.

This is not a typical storytime book; it has a quiet darkness and desperation about it, although it also beautifully portrays a loving relationship between a father and son. However, if your audience doesn't have these particular fears they might well have them after reading this book! I would recommend this for one-on-one reading with your own children or a group you know well.

Verdict: A lovely and valuable book which I recommend, but not for general storytime use.

ISBN: 9780399243530; Published 2017 by Penguin; Review copy provided by the publisher; Donated to the library show less

Hank's mom is a great mom, warm and funny and loving -- but she's been gone for six days, leaving 11-year-old Hank and his 3-year old sister Boo alone in their apartment. Hank's been taking care of Boo all her life, so they've been getting by okay, but now they're out of money and food, and the landlord is threatening eviction. It's time to get help, but they don't have any family around. Hank remembers that his mom put a name and address as an emergency contact on a field trip form, so he show more and Boo set out on a bus trip across the city, hoping to find shelter and a way to reconnect with their missing mother.

This book is Homecoming for a new generation. I couldn't help but think of the Tillerman Cycle as I read about abandoned kids, a parentified oldest child, and a journey to seek help from a stranger. It's a heavy topic, though there are glints of humor throughout. The characters are complex and the writing is strong. Recommended. show less

Today I moved to Alcatraz, a twelve-acre rock covered with cement, topped with bird turd and surrounded by water. I'm not the only kid who lives here. There are twenty-three other kids who live on the island because their dads work as guards or cooks or doctors or electricians for the prison, like my dad does. And then there are a ton of murderers, rapists, hit men, con men, stickup men, embezzlers, connivers, burglars, kidnappers and maybe even an innocent man or two, though I doubt it. The show more convicts we have are the kind other prisons don't want. I never knew prisons could be picky, but I guess they can. You get to Alcatraz by being the worst of the worst. Unless you're me. I came here because my mother said I had to. (Amazon) show less

First sentence: I know what you're thinking: That poor dog only has three legs. But don't go there. It's not that bad, okay? So, I'm not American Kennel Club material. Big deal. My eyes are sharp, my nose is wet, my coat puppy soft, and the white patch over my eye? It's a charmer, I don't mind saying. My name is Chance. I'm pleased to meet you.

ETA: I first reviewed Dogtown in July 2023. Yes, it's only been a few months. Barely two months. But I loved it so much. The first time I read a show more review copy. The second time I checked it out from the library. I loved it just as much--if not more.

Premise/plot: Dogtown is an animal shelter (dog shelter). It features dog-dogs and robot-dogs. (Presumably, this animal fantasy is futuristic animal fantasy). It stars Chance, our LOVABLE, adorable, super-kind hero. He's long been a resident at Dogtown. This is the story of his friendships at Dogtown. In particular, how he made [close] friendships with two unlikely residents: a mouse (named Mouse) and a robot dog, Metal Head. The book contains their adventures/misadventures.

My thoughts: Does this one feature a dog in peril? Yes and no. No, in that it isn't just one dog in peril. It is DOGS (plural) in peril. Though this one doesn't feature direct-direct sads, it features plenty of potential peril. Does it have heart and substance? A thousand times yes. I loved, loved, loved, loved this one so much. I LOVE the emotional journey of this one. Very feel-good. Very warm-and-cozy. Yet not instant. Do I see myself rereading it? YES. I already want to reread it. I could reread it a million times and still be moved by how awesome it is.

I loved the story. I loved the characters. I loved EVERYTHING.
My favorite, favorite, favorite element of this one is the inclusion of the BOOK BUDDY program. Pairing school-age children with shelter-dogs for reading time. These scenes were HEART-MELTING.

Quotes:

I learned something important that day: Never say something about a dog that you wouldn't want him to hear. "I like the moniker," Metel Head said. I didn't know if he'd burned out his bulbs or somebody had adjusted his settings, but the blue flashing had stopped. I could look at him without getting a headache. "Why do you want to escape?" I asked. "I want to go home," he said.

Here's another thing humans are sadly misguided about: Luck is not a winnin ghand of cards. Luck is making a new friend.

It wasn't the way it was supposed to be, with the kid reading and the dog listening. But one look at Metal Head and Quinn, scooted up close to each other, and it was pretty clear something had happened. Something big.

"What about your humans, Chance? Don't you want to go home?" This was not the kind of question Dogtown dogs asked each other. If a dog wanted to talk about how she ended up at Dogtown, that was fine. But you didn't ask a question that broke a dog's heart to answer. How do you explain kindness to a a machine with a hunk of metal where his heart should've been? I really didn't know.

"Your heart is a muscle," I told Mouse at dinner that night. "It grows stronger the more you use it."

I can't say that Metal Head was a friend, then,. He was more of a friend of a friend. Quinn liked him and I liked Quinn. But yeah, I did want to see if everything worked out for him. But wasn't the real reason I said yes. The real reason was something I didn't want to admit...there were a lot of phone poles up ahead. And maybe they had signs, too.

The smell of cheese is simply divine. The taste of it is even better.

Once hope gets inside you, you want your wishes to come true so badly, you just can't imagine that they won't. show less