Everything for a Dog

Absolutely loved this wonderful tale! And what I loved most was that I got caught completely off guard and was truly surprised with the way the author connected all three stories. Just perfect!
On one hand we have Charlie, who has just lost his older brother and is trying to cope with the loss as best as he can. His brother's dog, Sunny, plays an important part in his recovery from grieving.
On the other hand we have Henry, who has always longed for a dog and is willing to do anything in his power to convince his parents to let him have one.
Finally, we have Bone, who is a stray dog who is desperately trying to find a home.
Beautifully written and filled with emotion, this one made me tear up a bit towards the end. Don't miss it!

Everything for a Dog is by Ann M. Martin and is a companion to her first book, A Dog's Life. It is unique in that the book covers three separate stories about three characters whose lives will interweave into one another's by the end of the book. Bone, is a stray puppy who was first separated by his mother and then his sister. His story is told through his eyes; his struggles of finding food and shelter and dealing with cruelty, neglect, betrayal and love. There is Charlie and his dog who live on a farm with his grieving family and is trying to make sense out of tragedy. Then there is Henry, the sweet boy who wants nothing more than a best friend - a dog - and his efforts to convince his parents to allow him that wish.
I found the book show more to be incredibly heart-warming, gentle and genuine. The author wrote about some painful and difficult issues but did so subtly so that is wasn't overly dramatic and the reader didn't become bogged down. Martin always utilized strong elements of hope and faith in her storytelling so I knew that all the hardship was going to pay off eventually. Another reason why I loved this book was the constant change of stories chapter by chapter. It was like reading three short stories in one and I appreciated how easy it was to become invested in each characters' life and looked forward to revisiting them each time.
Booklist stated Everything for a Dog as, “a sensitive, gentle read that surrounds its occasional heartbreak with plenty of hope and warm feelings." I couldn't agree more. show less

The story is told from three different viewpoints:
Bone is a stray dog. He begins telling his story from his early puppy-hood, as he finds and then loses homes.
Charlie is a young boy whose older brother dies after falling from a tree. All he feels he has left is his brother's dog, Sunny, who is now devoted to him.
Henry wants nothing more in the world than to have a pet dog, but his parents won't allow it. When he starts seeing a stray dog around town, he decided to try to train it, and convince his parents that it should be his.
Two of these stories intersect exactly where you expect them to. The third intersects in a totally unexpected way that is just brilliant.

'Everything for a Dog' is Ann M. Martin's companion book to her original story, 'A Dog's Life'. Whereas the first book told of the life and adventures of the female stray, Squirrel, this book revolves around Squirrel's brother, Bone.

Bone and his sister are stray dogs secretly born in an old shed on a farm. After their mother's mysterious disappearance one day, Bone leads Squirrel away from the home and sanctuary that they had known since the very beginning. The two travel together for some time before suddenly finding themselves wrenched apart, and the remainder of Bone's world is gone forever. Since then, he has found a decent, albeit inconsistent home in two separate households, as circumstances beyond each owner's control forces show more them to give him away. After being placed into the temporary care of a neighbour until his previous family decides where he will go, a lonely Bone finds himself all but ignored, and sets off on his own for the first time in his life. After several months of traveling, and just trying to survive from one day to the next, Bone happens upon the quaint town of Claremont where he meets eleven-year-old Henry Elliot. Ever since his best friend moved away, young Henry has wanted nothing more than a dog of his own, but a personal tragedy from his father's childhood, unbeknownst to Henry, has always prevented his wish from coming true. For awhile, Henry makes it his private mission to train his new friend in the hopes of turning him into the perfect family dog and proving himself responsible to his parents. But when something goes unexpectedly wrong, and Henry's secret is forced into the open, his family must make a decision.

This is an engaging, heartfelt novel for anybody who has ever owned or wanted a dog. Canine lovers will easily relate to Henry's father, Charlie, and the remarkable bond that he and Sunny, his childhood dog and best friend, once shared, as well as a lonely Henry's deep longing for a dog of his own to love. The book revolves around the three characters, Bone, Charlie, and Henry, all who have lived different lives, but their stories connect in a very insightful and inspiring way, leading up to a significant conclusion. Readers may, however, find themselves a bit lost at the continuous shift in character viewpoint from chapter to chapter, as each one focuses solely on the adventures of each respective protagonist, as indicated by their name as the title of the chapter they star in; to complicate the narrative style further, only Bone's tale is told in first-person. show less

Martin uses three interwoven stories: a dog and two boys. The chapters are labeled for the character in the chapter: the dog's chapters are first person narrative; realistic except for the fact that he understands human speech and narrates in human speech. Charlie is dealing with a tragic situation: his older brother died in an accident; Henry is desperate for a dog but his parents refuse to get him one. Bone, the dog, is a retriever on the road without a home. A masterful twist connects the plots.

Wonderful story my whole family loved! I loved the interesting twist that brings the whole book to its conclusion!

Ann M. Martin uses alternating points of view, those of a stray dog and two boys, to capture the connection a boy has with his dog. A companion book to A Dog's Life.