Strider

Originally published 1991

The summer before high school, Leigh and his friend Brian find an abandoned dog on the beach. They win Strider's trust, and decide to set up a joint custody arrangement. The adults in their lives are half-amused, half-doubtful, but the boys settle into a routine - and, because he has to run with Strider every day, Leigh ends up trying out for track when school starts.

Leigh lives with his mother in their shack/cottage, in fear that their landlady will raise their rent; Leigh's dad is a truck driver who isn't as dependable with visits (or child support payments) as Leigh and his mom wish. And all the adults in Leigh's life keep asking him what his plans are, which has to be the stupidest question ever to ask a show more fourteen-year-old, Leigh and his friends agree.

Cleary writes about all of this with straightforward clarity. (And I'm glad to report that the dog does not die!)

Quotes

"Don't forget, you're my kid, too."
I hadn't forgotten, but I often feel as if he has. (100)

Knowing I was wrong was making me act so angry. (112)

Problem solving...seems to be my life's work. Maybe it's everyone's life's work. (137) show less

This cute little sequel to Dear Mr. Henshaw is just as good as the original book. If you haven't read the first one, it stands very nicely by itself. Both books speak poignantly about how divorce, in this case an absent father, can affect a child. In this book the main character, Leigh, two years older, is more comfortable with the way things are, and is well on the way in learning to accept his parents as they are and still managing to be all boy.

"Strider" is a worthy sequel to the excellent "Dear Mr. Henshaw".

Leigh is two years older, and handling life with his divorced mother better than when he was only 12. While on the beach with his best friend, Barry, they come across a dog that is sitting there, looking as if he's lost his best friend.

Apparently the dog has been abandoned, and the boys decide to adopt "Strider", with join custody.

But more is happening to Leigh than just a new dog: his father is still trying to get back with his ex-wife, Leigh's mother, who is not interested, his English teacher is making him crazy, and there's a new boy who takes issue with Leigh's new shirt.

This is not just a "feel good" story, but a story about adolescence and how one boy handles the show more changes in his life. I was really impressed with how Ms. Cleary handled an older subject (Leigh is 14) and the serious subjects of divorce and friendship.

Highly recommended, but read "Dear Mr. Henshaw" first. show less

I was amazing to find there was more to Leigh's story! I had the horrors that it would end up being a dead dog story, but this was a sweet coming of age tale of a boy fighting free of his feckless father, and negotiating friendships.

It's been several years since Leigh Botts last wrote in his journal, but he finds it and starts writing about his freshman year of high school. Things are going good for Leigh - he's got a best friend, Barry, and they're sharing custody of an abandoned dog they found on the beach. But sharing custody of Strider soon gets more complicated than Leigh could have imagined. Can his friendship with Barry survive? And if so, will it mean giving up the dog he's come to love?

Again, Beverly Cleary gives us a tween boy narrator dealing with his emotions, with finding friends in high school, with fitting in, with divorced parents, with loneliness, with finding out what he's good at... And MAJOR props for a book about a dog in which the DOG DOES show more NOT DIE. Whew. I can't believe it took me so long to read this book!

The narration is simple, but effective. I really enjoyed the audiobook.

More on the blog: http://www.abbythelibrarian.com/2010/07/audiobook-review-strider-by-beverly.html show less

While I did enjoy this book, I felt that "Dear Mr. Henshaw" (the first book in the series) was a stronger book with a very different thematic feel to it. I was expecting somewhat similar in feel and this was definitely not that. It was a more watered down version of what I was expecting based on the feeling of maturity in the other one.

Leigh (boy) Botts and his friend Barry acquire a dog, of which they assume joint custody. Leigh loves Strider, as they name him. He also loves running and joins the school track team.
Does this story line sound fascinating to you? Because there really isn't much more to this book than that. There are the usual parental troubles, teacher troubles and spats with friends, but all in all, this tale was exceedingly dull. I have thoroughly enjoyed a number of Beverly Cleary's books, but this one was weak.